Florida Gulf Coast U. Settles 2 Title IX Lawsuits, and Its Athletics Director Resigns

Carl McAloose has resigned as athletics director at Florida Gulf Coast University less than a week after the Fort Myers, Fla., institution agreed to pay $3.4-million to settle a Title IX lawsuit filed by two former coaches, the Naples Daily News reported. In his resignation letter, Mr. McAloose cited a loss of “passion” for the job, but he later told the newspaper that he had decided to step down “about five seconds” after learning about the settlement with the former volleyball coach, Jaye Flood, and former women’s golf coach, Holly Vaughn. Both women alleged that they had suffered retaliation because of their involvement in gender-equity complaints filed with the university by a third party in 2007.

The Fort Myers News-Press reported today that the university had also agreed to an $800,000 settlement with its former general counsel, Wendy Morris, who also alleged retaliation for trying to resolve gender-equity concerns. The article cited the transcript of a meeting in which a lawyer advised the university’s trustees of potential problems the institution would face if the cases went to trial.

In the case involving the coaches, Ms. Flood sued days after she was fired last January, and Ms. Vaughn, who had previously resigned, joined the lawsuit later, the Naples and Fort Myers newspapers reported last week. Under the settlement, Ms. Flood will receive more than $2.9-million and Ms. Vaughn will receive $435,000. The settlement agreement states that the university admits no wrongdoing, but adds that Ms. Flood and Ms. Vaughn “maintain that defendants’ actions constitute retaliation in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and defamation,” according to a copy of the document posted online. The university also agreed to a full gender-equity compliance review, a campus attitude survey, and personnel-policy review.

The agreement with Ms. Morris states that it is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing on her part or the university’s. —Charles Huckabee