An interdisciplinary resource for news, legal developments, commentary, and scholarship about Title IX, the federal statute prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded schools.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Anson Dorrance Trial Scheduled for April
SI.com reports that Melissa Jennings's sexual harassment suit against University of North Carolina -- which was filed in 1998 -- finally has a trial date. On April 7, 2008, Jennings will be able to present her case that she was harassed by UNC women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance when she was a member of the team from 1996 to 1998. Initially, the federal district court held that Jenning's allegations of Dorrance's behavior in creating a sexualized atmosphere for the team (for details, see our prior post here) did not constitute harassment under Title IX. But this decision was reversed by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which eventually met en banc to overrule an initial, panel decision that would have affirmed the district court. Now that Jennings has cleared the legal hurdles, her next step is to prove to a jury that the facts she alleged in her complaint are true.