Litigation
Ollier v. Sweetwater Union High School District
CWLC and the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco-Employment Law Center filed a complaint on behalf of female athletes in the Sweetwater School District.
Read a copy of the Sweeetwater Complaint
Read the Summary Judgment Order
Read the Order Denying Motion to Strike Retaliation Claim
Cruz v. Alhambra School District
In 2003, the softball coach at Alhambra High School (AHS) called CWLC to talk about the girls’ softball team not being able to access the new multi-use athletic field. This conversation led to a landmark court case that was the first in California to challenge Title IX compliance at the high school level, highlighting the unfair treatment, unequal benefits, and reduced participation opportunities given to female athletes at AHS.
After more than two years of litigation, the City and School District agreed to settle the case, and the School District agreed to build two new softball fields with the same amenities and maintenance as the boys’ baseball diamonds, to allow the girls to have access to the have access to the multi-use field, and more.
Read the Alhambra Complaint
Read the Alhambra Notice to class of settlement
Read the Alhambra Settlement Agreement
West High School
In the fall of 2008, CWLC received a phone call from a West High School (WHS) softball player’s mom regarding softball facilities being inferior to baseball facilities. In its investigation, CWLC found that the boys’ baseball facility was vastly superior to the girls’ softball field, and that unlike the baseball program, the girls’ softball program had been plagued with significant coaching turnover and inexperienced coaches.
in November 2008, CWLC sent a demand letter to WHS and the Torrance Unified School District to address the drastic inequalities in the athletic facilities and programs. In August 2009, the parties agreed to settle the matter. As part of the settlement agreement, WHS and the District agreed to improve the varsity softball field before the start of the 2010 season by increasing the distance between the infield and the dugouts, as well as to install an electronic scoreboard, new spectator bleachers, an enclosed dugout, a team room and a batting cage. In addition, WHS conducted a coaching survey to analyze the quality and quantity of its coaching staff for gender equity, conducted Title IX training for its coaches and athletics administrators.
Read a copy of the West High School Settlement Agreement
Proposition 8
Proposition 8 (also known as the California Marriage Protection Act) was a ballot proposition and constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 state elections. The measure added a new provision to the California Constitution providing that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
CWLC and Equal Rights Advocates filed a petition for a writ of mandate with the California Supreme Court seeking to prevent the enforcement, implementation or application of Proposition 8.
Download a copy of the Proposition 8 petition
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