A lawsuit filed against the University of Arizona by a former football coach, Rich Rodriguez has been dismissed. The suit was filed after his dismissal in November 2017 and alleged sexual harassment under Title IX regulations used to protect women at universities.
The “rich rodriguez” is a lawsuit that alleges sexual harassment against the former football coach of the University of Arizona. The university dismissed the case because it was filed too late.
A lawsuit filed against former Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez and the university claiming sexual harassment and a hostile work environment was dropped earlier this month, with both parties paying just their own expenses and lawyers’ fees.
Rodriguez, the university, and a former administrative assistant, who initially made charges in 2017, have been involved in court battles for four years. The dismissal was accepted by a federal court after the institution filed a move for summary judgment last month, requesting dismissal based on a late filing. There is no settlement or nondisclosure agreement in the firing, and neither Rodriguez nor the institution compensated the former assistant to resolve the lawsuit.
Rodriguez’s attorney, Bennett Speyer, said in a statement to ESPN, “This gives conclusion to a 4-year odyssey, proving what we have maintained from the outset — that the plaintiff invented charges of harassment in an effort to extract a big financial payment.” “The plan backfired. She didn’t get a dime from either my customer or UA. Coach Rodriguez, however, paid a high price for his reputation as the subject of widely publicized bogus claims. His wife, Rita, and their children, as well as former UA staff members and players, were all injured needlessly.”
Rodriguez’s former assistant filed a federal complaint in July 2019 claiming due process violations, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress against Rich Rodriguez, Rita Rodriguez, and the institution. Rodriguez’s lawyers claim that the former assistant didn’t try to serve the complaint until October 28, 2019, and then omitted Rich and Rita Rodriguez from the case on November 25, 2019, while continuing to sue the institution.
Typically, ESPN does not name persons who claim sexual assault or harassment.
Rodriguez’s former assistant was fired because she did not submit a civil rights complaint with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission within the 300-day period after the alleged harassment, instead filing 343 days later. On Dec. 28, 2017, she filed a $7.5 million notice of claim with the Arizona attorney general’s office, stating Rodriguez was the owner of a hostile workplace. Rodriguez allegedly compelled the assistant to keep his extramarital involvement with a woman who was not associated with the institution a secret, and touched and tried to kiss her.
The University of Arizona investigated the claims during the autumn of 2017 but was unable to corroborate them, although officials were aware of evidence that had them “concerned about the direction and atmosphere of the football program.” Rodriguez was sacked on January 2, 2018, following a six-year tenure at the school that saw him finish 43-35.
Rodriguez acknowledged to the affair but rejected all other charges, claiming that his former assistant had threatened to sue him for $7.5 million. On Jan. 18, 2018, the former assistant, who did not take part in the university’s inquiry into Rodriguez, filed a $8.5 million notice of claim against the institution, stating that it was accountable for Rodriguez’s actions.
Arizona replied in a statement to ESPN: “The University has maintained that the complaint is without substance. We are overjoyed that [Rodriguez’s former assistant] seems to have come to the same conclusion and has voluntarily abandoned her case without any agreement or payment between the parties.”
Rodriguez did not coach in 2018, but he returned to the sidelines as the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss in 2019. He’s in his first year as offensive coordinator at Louisiana-Monroe, where his son, Rhett, is a quarterback after transferring from Arizona.
Rodriguez served three years as Michigan’s coach and seven seasons as the head coach at West Virginia, his alma school, where he placed fifth in the country in 2005 and went 32-5 from 2005 to 2007.
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