EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION: Appeals Court Allows Female Athletes to Sue UC Davis Over Discrimination

San Francisco - An appellate court has said Monday that the University of California, Davis has violated a federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in college athletics after allegedly dissolving the women’s wrestling program.

The court said the school should be “giving athletic opportunities to women since it is an institution that is receiving federal funding from the government.”

The lawsuit was filed by three female wrestlers who allege that their school has also made them compete against males of the same weight.

Previously, a lower court has ruled in favor of UC Davis due to legal technicality as the complainants failed to formally notify university officials about what they believe to be an incident of gender discrimination.

In response to the appeals court’s decision, UC Davis legal representative Steve Drown denied that the school has committed gender-equity violation, adding that the “court did not have the evidence to prove the allegations.”

Meanwhile, the university has settled a retaliation lawsuit by paying women’s wrestling coach Michael Burch with $725,000 settlement in 2007.

Burch claimed that the university has fired him after supporting the gender discrimination lawsuit filed by female athletes.