Unequal treatment of athletic coaches under Title IX is becoming a frequent basis for lawsuits across the country. A new Title IX lawsuit was filed this week in Texas as two California schools settled their own gender discrimination cases. A former Texas Southern University (TSU) women’s basketball coach filed a gender discrimination lawsuit Monday. According to the Associated Press, Surina Dixon alleges she was fired in June as a result of her complaints concerning the university’s discriminatory contracts.
TSU had offered Dixon a $75,000 one-year contract while the new men’s basketball coach received a $150,000 per year, five-year contract. “I think that I was terminated based on sex discrimination and retaliation,” Dixon told Houston-KRIV according to the AP. “I just want to see Texas Southern be fair with women when negotiating their contracts.”
California State University schools at San Diego and Fresno have reached settlements in several gender discrimination cases. Deena Deardurff Schmidt, a former CSU San Diego swim coach and Olympic gold medalist, filed her lawsuit in November after her contract with the school was not renewed. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Schmidt’s lawsuit alleged San Diego State provided “unequal and inadequate” pay and facilities since she was hired in 1994.
CSU Fresno has settled five cases of gender discrimination and now owes over $16 million in combined settlements or jury awards to several women’s coaches and an Associate Athletic Director, according to the Union-Tribune.
