We may be learning more soon about former women's basketball coach Rene Portland, her relationship with former player Jennifer Harris, and the actions and inactions of the Penn State athletic department and administration regarding the claims of discrimination made during Portland's tenure. A federal judge has reversed an earlier ruling that would have prevented a lawyer representing a former faculty member, from obtaining information that had been sealed as a result of the settlement between Harris and the university. (More coverage here.) The lawyer, whose client is alleging discimination on the basis of her gender and sexual orientation, contends that papers gathered during the investigation into Portland and Penn State would be valuable to her client's case (for prior posts about the subpeona effort, see here and here).
What exactly they will find is unknown right now. And how much is revealed to the public may depend on whether this case goes to trial. Also an unknown is whether any of the parties (Portland, Harris, or Athletic Director Tim Curley) will challenge the subpoenas.
But for those of us who were a little frustrated by the closed settlement, the possibility that we may learn more about what exactly happened at Penn Stat is quite exciting.
