This discrimination suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under both federal and state statutes for sex discrimination, federal violation of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 for anti-retaliation, and a state statute for breach of contract, by Eve Atkinson, former Athletic Director at Lafayette College, according to court documents (Jones). Four claims were made against Lafayette College and its president, Arthur Rothkopf for her termination, which she claimed was in retaliation for her raising Title IX issues. Title IX dictates gender equality in college athletic programs and that organizations cannot retaliate against individuals attempting to adhere to its policies.
A federal judge dismissed two of the charges, referring to a recent U.S. Supreme Court case where an individual was not allowed to sue under Title VI, which is a similar statute, and said the ruling also applied to Title IX (Jones). The judge stated that individuals do not have a right to enforce the anti-retaliation regulation involving Title IX. The suits were also dismissed for a failure to state a cause of action, the legal reasoning for her lawsuit. The judge dismissed the breach of contract claims and the Title IX claim, and the federal sex discrimination charge with respect to Rothkopf. Although the college raised several time-sensitive technicalities, the judge did not dismiss the state sex discrimination charges, so these suits remain at both the state and federal level. The state sex discrimination charge is a violation of the Pennsylvania Human Rights Act (PHRA), and the claim against Rothkopf is for "aiding and abetting". The federal sex discrimination charge is based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and is still pending.
The article notes that in 1996, Atkinson proposed changes within the school's athletic program, dealing specifically with Title IX and other g...