Nevada Judge Throws Out Ex-Coach’s Lawsuit

A Nevada judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former women’s soccer coach who asserted that the University of Nevada at Reno had fired her after she complained about sexual harassment and gender-equity violations in the university’s athletics program, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported today.

The judge, Patrick Flanagan of the Washoe District Court, issued his ruling just days before the lawsuit was scheduled for trial. The decision says that the university provided evidence, in advance of the trial, demonstrating that its dismissal of the coach, Terri Patraw, was tied specifically to her job performance, not any “protected speech” in her complaints. Judge Flanagan noted that her time at Nevada-Reno, although successful on the playing field, was “not without significant turmoil and controversy,” and that her firing was proper, given that she was an at-will employee.

Ms. Patraw’s lawsuit, which was originally filed in late 2007, said the university had violated NCAA regulations and Title IX requirements, and had discriminated against members of her team. The case was also dismissed by a hearing officer of the Nevada State Personnel Commission, in a ruling issued in early 2008.