Friday, May 16, 2008

Retaliation Cases Make Page 1 of USA Today

Tuesday's edition of USA Today raised the public profile of several retaliation cases we've followed extensively on the blog. The primary piece focused on the Fresno State plaintiffs -- Lindy Vivas, Diane Milutinovich, and Stacy Johnson-Klein -- whose lawsuits generated multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in the past year. The article calls the Fresno State cases "part of a series of lawsuits that have landed before courts since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that whistle-blowers who allege retaliation in Title IX cases can sue for monetary damages." Along with other, similar cases "from Hawaii to Florida" they "reflect the ongoing tension over the law that bans sex discrimination at schools receiving federal funds."

Other, related pieces provide a timeline of events at Fresno State, a focused piece on the discrimination Lindy Vivas experienced at Fresno State, a separate article about Johnson-Klein's trial and astounding jury verdict, and an interview with Karen Moe Humphreys, the former Berkeley swim coach whose retaliation case settled for $3.5 million, and an article about a gender equity complaint against the University of Southern California that has been under investigation for 10 years.

[thanks, D.C.]