Lawsuits & Complaints - Part 1

NOVEMBER 1995 OCR UPDATE:
The Education Department/OCR responded to Donna Lopiano's (WSF) FOIA request for a list of cases which have been investigated by OCR since passage of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (1988 Amendments) on March 22, 1988. Seventy-eight compliance reviews had been initiated by the OCR, 347 complaints had been filed. Those that occurred from 1992 through October 1995 are listed in the following index. Information is not necessarily available for each complaint.

JULY 1994 OCR UPDATE:
The Education Department OCR responded to The Chronicle of Higher Education Freedom of Information Act request: OCR findings of sex discrimination doubled from 1992 to 1993 to 44. Seven colleges failed to provide female athletes with programs comparable to those of men.

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Alabama

Beasley v. Alabama State University [966 F. Supp. 1117 (M.D. Ala. 1997)]

FACTS:
Title IX action filed by female student and former athlete against the University and its officials.

Decatur City School District

Birmingham Southern College

Jefferson County School District

Faulkner University

Tuscaloosa City School District

Decatur City School District

Morgan County School District

Baldwin County School District

Huntsville City School District

Jackson County School District

Jefferson County School District

Limestone County School District

Madison County School District

Mobile County School District

Montgomery County School District

Shelby County School District

Jacksonville State College

Alabama State University

Shelby County School District

Samford University

Troy State University

Central Alabama Community College

Brenda Williams v. University of Alabama - Birmingham

FACTS:
Williams, former UAB VB coach, claims she was terminated in retaliation for complaining about unlawful employment practices in which male coaches with similar job descriptions were paid higher salaries.

Susan Kiechal et al v. Auburn University

FACTS:
June 1993 Settlement: In a settlement, Auburn agreed to pay $140,000 to the plaintiffs and agreed to start a women's varsity soccer team in the fall with a guaranteed budget of $200,000 a year for the first 2 years & 4 scholarships the 1st year rising to full compliment in 3 years, plus build a playing field.
Lawsuit (April 1993): One graduate of 1992 and seventeen current female student-athletes filed on behalf of women's soccer players, seeking increased funding for all women's sports.
March 3,1993: Auburn wrote to OCR saying it doesn't believe there is adequate interest or sufficient competition to justify an upgrade.
Complaint (Oct. 1992): Women's club soccer team is requesting varsity status. Members gathered 1400 signatures from women who said they would tryout if an intercollegiate team existed.

Calhoun County School District

University of North Alabama

FACTS:
Sept. 22, 1993: UNA announced that OCR Letter of Finding identified the institution in violation of Title IX. After a 1 year study, OCR findings identified inequity in women's & men's basketball uniforms, female coaches responsible for more than 1 team, unfair access to practice facilities, lower meal-money allocations & poorly furnished lockerrooms. Recommendations include 1) move some women's basketball games to prime time, 2) hire ass't SID to promote women's sports, 3) increase allocations for meals, and 4) hire additional coaches. 

Arizona

Prescott Unified School District

Glendale Unified School District

Phoenix UHSD

Peoria Unified School District

Tempe UHSD

Salgado v. Prescott Unified School District No. 1 & Arizona Interscholastic Association, Inc. (High School)

FACTS:
Settlement occurred when the School District backed down and policy was changed to eliminate the practice of having girls play spring basketball in parts of the state. 

Arkansas

Nettleton School District

Arkansas State Board of Education

Junction City Public School District

Tom Caruso v. University of Arkansas - Fayetteville

FACTS:
Caruso, a male diver, claims the move to discontinue men's swimming denies team members an opportunity to participate in the Southeastern Conference. The University originally offered to reinstate swimming if supporters can raise $450,000 in new money but later decided to keep the program afloat until 1996 when the eligibility of athletes now on the team expires. 

California

University of Southern California (USC)

University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA)

Oakland Unified School District

Pajaro Valley Unified School District

Sacramento City College

South Pasadena Unified School District

Petaluma Board of Education

Pleasant Valley E. School District

Marianne Stanley v. University of Southern California

FACTS:
March 8, 1995: The court reaffirmed its earlier conclusion that the men's and women's basketball coaching positions are not substantially equal and do not require equal pay. Court also found Stanley had not established her claims for retaliation, wrongful discharge, breach of contract or breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
Jan. 6, 1994: Appellate Judge Arthur Alarcon wrote the men's coach had a more demanding job (public relations, fundraising & job pressure), and as a business decision, could be paid more.
September, 1993: USC named Cheryl Miller as head coach.
August 30, 1993: USC women's BB players, considered national championship material, are considering suing the University for being in violation of Title IX and/or transferring if Stanley is not reinstated.
Lawsuit: August 5, 1993: Stanley, women's basketball coach, alleges sex discrimination & retaliation, wrongful discharge, breach of implied contract & conspiracy. Stanley, earning $70,000, was promised a multi-year contract if she coached the BB team into the NCAA tournament. Declining a 3yr contract starting at $86,000, she was offered a 1-yr deal for $90,000 with a $6,000 housing allowance after seeking a salary identical to the men's coach ($130,000-$150,000). She alleges the university withheld her paycheck because she refused to sign the 1-yr deal.

University of California - Los Angeles

FACTS:
A group of female gymnasts threatened a lawsuit after UCLA announced that it was cutting men's swimming and men's & women's gymnastics at the end of 1993-94. Women make up 50% of the student body and 28% of the athletes. UCLA is experiencing a sports budget deficit nearing $1 M which was expected to reach $9 M by 2000. Of the $12.3 M athletic budget for 1991-92, $2 M (or 17%) went to women. 

University of California - Los Angeles

FACTS:
(See previous case) The Court found that Title IX permits the university to eliminate proportional overrepresentation of male student-athltes to achieve a goal of proportional equality.

Sierra Unified School District

Members of the Women's Soccer Club v.University of California - Los Angeles

FACTS:
Members of the women's soccer club claimed UCLA did not offer equitable athletic opportunities to its female students. UCLA agreed to upgrade soccer to varsity status, beginning 1993-94. 

Mary Zimmerman v. San Jose State University (A.D. Tom Brennan, Pres. J. Handel Evans & SJS Board of Directors)

FACTS:
Zimmerman was fired from athletics in June of 1991 following across the board budget cuts & terminated from SJSU one year later. Zimmerman came to SJSU in 1982, served as women's A.D. until merger in 1987, served as assoc. A.D. & S.W.A.A. until 1991. She maintains she was wrongfully terminated & not promoted due to her gender, thereby alleging violation of Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Cuesta College

Dinuba ESD

Dinuba Joint Union HSD

Benicia Union School District

Cupertino Union School District

California Chapter of the National Organization of Women v. California State University System Board of Trustees

FACTS:
Consent Decree: Decree requires, by 1998-99, 1) Athletic opportunities for women proportional to NCAA- eligible women undergraduates within 5%, 2) provide female athletes with a ratio of funding within 10% of the proportion of women enrolled, 3) provide grants-in-aid, including scholarships, for all women's sports in proportion to the number of women on campus within 5%. A 7 member committee will monitor campus compliance through biennial reports beginning in 1994-95.
Lawsuit: NOW contends System violates California Education Code (1976) mandating equal opportunity for women in athletics, Title IX, & the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution. NOW contends the System institutions have actually "regressed away from gender equity" since 1978-79. Women currently make up 55.5% of the undergraduate enrollment at the 19 CSU schools but only 30% of the athletes, and receive only 25% of the athletic funding. 1991-92 funding for all sources totaled $34.8 M ($8222 each) for men's athletics, $11.8 M ($6690 each) for women's teams and $1.7 M ($5708 each) for coed sports.

Calif. NOW, Mary Zimmerman v. San Jose State University (Evans)

FACTS:
Suit claims Zimmerman, associate athletic director, was fired after actively advocating for gender equity in athletics and only 29% of SJSU's participants are women and receive about 27% of the athletics budget even though the student body is 51% women. Zimmerman filed a separate sex discrimination & wrongful termination lawsuit.

Women's Volleyball Players v. California State University - Fullerton (Howlett v. Gordon)

FACTS:
Settlement included reversal of proposed elimination of volleyball team; commitment to long range gender equity program which includes the addition of women's soccer; commitment to increase athletic opportunities for women to 40% by 1997 and equal to percent of women in student body by 2002. 

Rudy Suwara v. California State University System Board of Trustees

FACTS:
San Diego State University volleyball ex-coach Rudy Suwara claims he was fired & denied a job in departmental reorganization because he insisted on equal treatment of female athletes in a 1989 Title IX complaint.

Women's Crew v. University of Southern California

FACTS: Five former & current members of the women's crew team claim inequities in treatment of men's and women's crew. Of $12.7 M 1991-92 budget, women received $2.9 M or 23%.

Oakland Unified School District

San Jose State University

California State University - Fresno

Alvord Unified School District

James Huffman v. California State University System (Gordon)

FACTS:
Decision: A 12 person state-court jury agreed unanimously on all 6 counts, including breach of implied contract & deprivation of free speech. Huffman was awarded $350,666 in economic damages, $1 million for non-economic damages - including emotional distress, and an undisclosed amount of punitive damages.
Lawsuit: California State University at Fullerton volleyball ex-coach Jim Huffman claims he was fired March 23, 1992, 3 days after the university settled a suit with the volleyball team, because he insisted on equal treatment of female athletes. 

Colorado

Univeristy of Colorado at Boulder

FACTS:
Complaint: One of 25 complaints filed by the National Women’s Law Center based on a number of criteria related to the distribution of scholarship dollars, as reported through the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act report: size of the disparity for the average female athlete at the institution, the size of the disparity in the overall program, and the gap between female enrollment and athletics opportunities offered females. It was voiced that scholarship disparities cause women to experience mounting debt which affects them long after graduation or prevents them from accessing higher education. At University of Colorado at Boulder: Female Enrollment=47%, Female Athletics Participation=40%, Scholarship $’s Awarded to Female Athletes=31%, Average $ Gap per Female Athlete (in one year) =$2,386, Total $’s Women Lose Due to Discrimination (in one year)=$266,751.

Fremont School District RE-2

Jefferson County School District

Brighton School District #27J

Rocky Ford School District R-2

Jefferson County School District

Jennifer Roberts et al v. Colorado State University

FACTS:
March 1995: CSU is now recognized as one of the 10 most equitable athletic programs in the country. Women now compose 46.4% of athletes and 49.6% of full-time undergrads.
July 7 Decision: This is the 2nd appellate court opinion interpreting the substantive requirements of Title IX and in which the requirement of effective accommodation of interests & abilities of male & female student-athletes is aggressively interpreted. Because relief was directed at the plaintiffs, after their graduation or transfer CSU could return to court & seek to have the injunction dissolved.
Feb 18 Decision: Court applied three-part test to determine effective accommodations: 1) participation opportunities for men and women substantially proportionate to enrollment, 2) history & continuing practice of program expansion for women, or 3) interests and abilities of women fully and effectively accommodated. Court found a disproportionate gap - women make up 48.2% undergraduate student body and 37.7% athletes in varsity sports. Also criticized CSU for not following up on promises it had made 10 years ago (1983) when OCR conducted a compliance review finding disparity between the treatment & benefits given to male & female athletes at which time CSU said it would raise the participation rate of women to 46.5% by 1987-88.
Lawsuit: Women's softball & men's baseball teams eliminated in a cost cutting move to help alleviate a $600,000 deficit. Women softball players sue claiming CSU not meeting interests and abilities of women to the same extent as men and argued timing made it difficult to transfer. 

Connecticut

9 Female Athletes vs University of Bridgeport

FACTS:
July 1995 Settlement: The athletes continued to pursue their case in order to secure a commitment for adequate money & support. Bridgeport will sponsor women's gymnastics at least through 1997-98, and pay for all the team's expenses, including scholarships, equipment & travel.
Lawsuit: In Spring of 1994, UB dropped men's volleyball and women's gymnastics. Suit seeks reinstatement of the very successful women's gymnastics and orders the university to provide equal opportunities to participate for men & women. Women make up 54% of undergraduates but only 42% of the athletes. UB currently sponsors 4 teams each for men & women and contends the ratio of women is 51% in student body and 48% in athletics.

New Milford Public School

West Hartford Public School

Connecticut R.S.D. #9

Florida

Bethune-Cookman College

Five Softball Players & Two Suspended Coaches v. Saint Leo College

FACTS:
Lawsuit: Five softball players (current or former) claim that Saint Leo's female athletes receive less travel and meal money, inferior equipment, and fewer tutoring opportunities than male athletes. The softball field also lacks features the baseball field has such as lights and batting cages. Two coaches (Ray Carver and Jerry Miller) claim they were suspended last Fall because they supported the women in their threat to sue the college. They claim they were then punished on trumped-up charges of pocketing athletics department money. They are asking for at least $1 million each in damages.

Brevard Community College

Rollins College

Hillsborough County School District

Seminole County School District

Orange County School District

University of Central Florida

FACTS:
Complaint filed by former female track & field student-athlete for purported Title IX violations.

Hillsborough County School District

Lee County School District

Georgia

Middle Georgia College

Macon College

Bob Reinhart vs Georgia State University

FACTS:
Lawsuit: Reinhart, former men's basketball coach for 9 yrs, claims he was fired because he refused a pay cut intended to bring his salary in line with that of the women's basketball coach. Orby Moss, athletics director, claims his nonrenewal was due to a lack of success. New coaches for men's and women's basketball were hired at a base salary of $65,000. The previous women's coach had earned $38,000 while Reinhart's pay was $83,500.

Monroe County School District

Oconee County School District

Idaho

Orofino School District

Meridian Joint District

Illinois

17 Current & Former Athletes vs Illinois State University (38 individual defendants named; include Board of Regents, the university Athletic Council, & its Gender Equity Review Committee)

FACTS:
Lawsuit: Seventeen former & current student athletes claim gender and racial discrimination, sexual harassment and other offenses. ISU Athletic Council voted in March and again in April to cut men's soccer and wrestling programs due to the institution's noncompliance with Title IX. Soccer and wrestling players, after 6 months of attempts to reinstate the sports, filed the lawsuit, seeking reinstatement of soccer and wrestling on the grounds that players were denied due process and there was sex discrimination. The lawsuit claims ISU established an illegal affirmative action program mandating gender quotas. Ten of the wrestlers are minorities. Two former women's rugby club members joined the lawsuit, claiming ISU could have made rugby a varsity sport in order to comply with Title IX, and that they were forced out of rugby due to the high cost of the club. In addition, an ISU women's basketball player (Rita Harper) alleges she was the victim of racial and sexual harassment by her coaches and teammates. She seeks compensatory and punitive damages of at least $50,000 on several counts. 

Illinois State University: Board of Regents vs McLean County State's Attorney

FACTS:
The ISU Athletic Council voted March 22, in closed session, to recommend the cutting of the men's soccer and wrestling programs. In response to complaints, the Athletic Council met and voted again on April 26, 1995. Attorneys for the male athletes object, saying the meeting violated the Open Meetings Act because the subject to be discussed was not disclosed and because a roll-call vote to go into closed session was not taken. ISU and the BOR maintain the Athletic Council is just an advisory committee and not subject to the Open Meetings Act. The law requires meetings and votes of certain boards to be held in public.
Lawsuit: The lawsuit claims that Illinois State University's Athletic Council is not subject to the open meetings law, and asks the county circuit court to decide the matter. It recognizes that the state's attornney's office has threatened to bring criminal prosecution for alleged violations of the Open Meetings Act. It is the BOR's hope that a favorable decision from the circuit court would avert possible prosecution from the state's attorney's office.
Countersuit: The state's attorney disagrees with the BOR's interpretation, given that the BOR delegates repsonsibility to others for the governing of ISU, and is asking the court to decide the issue.
Media: WJBC-AM in Bloomington sued to force disclosure of the minutes. The Peoria Journal Star also filed an Freedom of Information (FOI) request with the state attorney's office seeking release of the meetings transcripts.

Illinois Benedictine College

Marty Hawkins v. Loyola University Chicago

FACTS:
Hawkins, former basketball coach, alleges he was terminated because he complained the school was violating Title IX & gender-equity provisions. Complaints include lack of parity in the number of ass't coaches for men's & women's basketball, and an annual recruiting budget of $1500 while the men's budget was greater than his entire basketball budget. Hawkins' 14 year record: 227-148. Women's BB team's GPA: highest at 3.53.

Edwardsville Community Unit SD 7

Eastern Illinois University

FACTS:
In 1994, Eastern Illinois was found in violation of offering too few sporting opportunities for women. The University agreed to drop wrestling and men's swimming, and add women's soccer. In December of 1994 the University approached the OCR about renegotiating. In May 1995, Eastern Illinois announced that both men's teams will be kept and women's golf will be added in 1996-97.

Meridian Community Unit School District

Kelley v. University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

FACTS:
September 1994: The decision to retain women's swimming was characterized as "extremely prudent." Rejected claim that Title IX was a gender-based quota system; without a swim team, men's participation would continue to be more than substantially proportionate to their presence in the student body. In terms of Equal Protection, court found the remedial scheme established by Title IX constitutionally permissible because it serves the important governmental objective of prohibiting educational institutions from discriminating on the basis of sex and is substantially related to achieving that end.
September 1993: The court stated the meaning of Title IX has been shaped by Federal agency interpretations & case law to mean equal opportunity for members of both sexes. Illinois is permitted to cut because men's interests & abilities are presumptively met when substantial proportionality exists.
Lawsuit: Eight members of the men's swimming team claim they are victims of sexual discrimination because the women's team is not being eliminated. In a cost cutting move, Illinois is cutting men's swimming & diving, women's diving and men's fencing. Men represent 56% of the student body and 76.6% of the athletes.

Alton Community Unit School District 11

Sparta Community Unit School District 140

Field Hockey Players v. Northern Illinois

FACTS:
Field Hockey team eliminated and replaced with soccer. Players asking for reinstatement of field hockey in addition to soccer because institution is not meeting needs and interests of women.

Chicago Public Schools, District #299

FACTS:
1992 Complaint: A complaint was filed alleging the District-wide elementary school athletics program does not accommodate the interests and abilities of male and female students equally; and that during the 1991-92 school year, the District denied female softball players on high school level freshman-sophomore sports teams the opportunity to participate in post-season tournament play while similarly-situated male athletes were allowed to participate in Post-season activities.
Settlement Agreement: The District is to recommend revisions to the Chicago Public High School Athletic Association Constitution and by-laws by 3/1/95. Meanwhile, post-season tournaments for all boys and girls sports and levels of competition, including a freshman/sophomore girls softball post-season tournament, are to be held. The settlement calls for the addition of female varsity teams at various schools, the addition of girls' freshman-sophomore teams at various schools, an attempt to add badminton as a sanctioned sport if there is enough interest, and an annual campaign to increase interest among girls in H.S. interscholastic athletics. In a separate agreement as a result of the 1992 complaint, the District shall also ensure that the selection of sports offered in its District-wide elementary level sports and social center athletics programs accommodate the interests of female athletes to the same extent as those of male athletes. 

Indiana

Laporte Community School Corporation

Tipton School Corporation

Tipton School Corporation

South Spencer School Corporation

Baugo Community Schools

Iowa

Iowa State University

Josh Dearborn et al vs Iowa High School Athletic Association (High School)

FACTS:
The IHSAA voted in March to drop diving. One year before a decision was made to make diving an exhibition event during the 1993-94 season. The suit contends the board of control does not have the power to drop an event from a sport. Diving has a 42% level of participation. 

Scott Gonyo et al (Five Male Wrestlers) v. Drake University

FACTS:
Wrestlers are demanding reinstatement of the wrestling program eliminated March 11. Drake claimed cuts were for financial reasons as well as lack of student & public support. The wrestlers claim the university violated the Constitution's equal protection clause and Title IX. They assert cuts came when female athletes (40% of all athletes & 53% of all athletic scholarships) receive more scholarship money ($967,000 v. $824,000) than male athletes. The school is honoring financial aid commitments for those who remain at Drake. Lawsuit does not seek monetary damages. 

Kansas

Coffeyville Community College

Olathe U. S. D. #233

Wichita State University

FACTS:
Complaint: Complaint alleged that WSU denied female athletes equal opportunity because of gender.
Statement of Findings: The OCR found that WSU did not comply with the law in areas including financial assistance, opportunities for participation, equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice times, travel and daily allowances, coaching, locker rooms and game facilities.
Compliance Plan: The compliance plan calls for WSU to be in compliance with Title IX by July 1, 1998. Student fees will increase $3 per credit, beginning Fall 1995, to fund the plan which will cost $500,000 the first year.

University of Kansas

Emporia State University

Kentucky

Montgomery County School District

Ashland Independent School District

Murray State University

Horner (12 High School Softball Players) v. Kentucky State Board for Elementary & Secondary Education & Kentucky State H.S. Athletic Association (High School) 43 F.3d 265, 6th Cir. 1994

FACTS:
Lawsuits: Students seeking damages for lost scholarship opportunities, less sport opportunity, and change from slow pitch to fast pitch softball sponsorship in high schools. KHSAA sanctioned 10 sports for boys and 8 for girls.
January 14, 1993 Dismissal: Judge Edward H. Johnstone noted it is not Title IX's objective to provide a forum for scholarship competition but to provide equal opportunity. The court also ruled against a claim of denial of Equal Protection under the 14th Amendment noting participation in interscholastic athletics is not a right protected by the constitution, therefore the loss of opportunity to play or compete for scholarships is not a constitutional right.
December 22, 1994: The court ruled the KHSAA was subject to Title IX because it received federal financial assistance indirectly, through its member schools.

Eastern Kentucky University

Eastern Kentucky University

Eastern Kentucky University

Field Hockey Players v. Eastern Kentucky University

FACTS:
OCR rules more opportunities for women must be added with institution determining sports to be added; changes must be made in scheduling of basketball games, travel, coaching, locker rooms, facilities, medical and training personnel, publicity and support services.

Louisiana

Parents vs. East St. John the Baptist Parish School Board

FACTS:
Lawsuit: Parents claim ESJ favored boys' sports, especially football, and discriminated against girls' sports in funding, coaches hiring practices, and access and quality of practice and competitive facilities. Through a petition, the lady Cats Parents and Alumni Association asked a School Board employee be appointed to ensure women's sports are treated fairly, that the head girls basketball coach position be advertised, preferring former coach LaRose's reinstatement (he resigned in protest of inequitable treatment), and that the new coach be allowed to interview and recommend an assistant coach.

LaFourche Parish Public School

FACTS:
The School Board has ensured the following: girls’ high school softball (including junior varsity) and junior high school basketball programs at each junior high will be equivalent or equivalent in effect with the boys’ high school and junior high school programs for baseball and basketball; equivalent number of games scheduled based on availability of teams; equvialent number of coaches to boys’ and girls’ teams in proportion to number of teams or students participating in sport; comparable game and practice facilities; funds and efforts of support organizatiions/booster clubs that do not create a disparity in the provision of benefits/services to teams. 

Polly Hale v. Northeast Louisiana University

FACTS:
Lawsuit: Hale, a softball player, filed suit alleging Northeast Louisiana does not offer comparable facilities or funding for women's sports.
September 19, 1995 Rachel Whatley, student assistant softball coach, and Lisa Hawkins, graduate assistant volleyball coach, joined suit. 

Burt vs Bossier Parish School Board (High School)

FACTS:
The parent of a female basketball player claims that girls basketball and softball do not receive equal treatment compared to the boys program. Inadequate facilities include the softball field, lockerroom, trophy space and coaches' offices. Girls' practice times are structured around boys' practices.

Beth Pederson, Lisa Ollar, Semantha Clark, and Karla & Cindy Pineda v. Louisiana State University

FACTS:
May 9, 1997: Doherty approved LSU’s plan citing the recent addition of softball and soccer as varsity sports, the hiring of an administrator to oversee women’s athletics, and the promotion and press coverage of women’s programs.
January 12, 1996: Judge Doherty ordered the university to present a plan for program compliance within 20 days. The court found LSU "negligent in not adapting to the changing social and athletic landscape." Monetary damages were not awarded because violations were deemed caused by negligence rather than intentional discrimination. Doherty also discussed the issue of proportionality, stating "Section 1681 (a) of Title IX specifically provides the mandate of Title IX shall not be interpreted to require preferential treatment to members of one sex based on proportionality. Rather, those percentages should be considered as 'tending to show that such an imbalance exists with respect to the participation, or receipt of the benefits of, any such programs or activity by the members on one sex.'" Plaintiffs' attorneys will appeal the ruling. The soccer section was rejected since LSU started a team in 1995. The university plans to reinstate softball in 1996-97.
October 1994: Denied injunction because it would change, rather than preserve, the status quo. Court also questioned plaintiffs' standing to bring action as they would have exhausted their eligibility by the time the team was added. Plaintiffs' have appealed ruling.
Lawsuit: 3 members of the women's club soccer team are asking that the university elevate soccer to varsity status for Fall 1994 and establish softball in 1995 instead of the following year as previously mandated by the Southeastern Conference. The suit claims LSU's program violates Title IX and treats its male and female athletes inequitably. The general student enrollment is 50/50 male/female whereas athletic participation is 75/25 male/female.

University of Southwestern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana University

Lafourche Public Schools

Livingston Parish School Board