Suspended for a Prior Relationship

Former Texas women's track and field coach Bev Kearney, who alleged discrimination based on gender, race and retaliation in an official charge last spring, has not yet filed a lawsuit against the university but likely will within the next month. Coach Kearney won six national titles in track at UT.

Kearney was suspended when school officials discovered she had had a relationship with a student some ten years prior. Kearney alleges she was disciplined for an offense for which other coaches have not suffered similar discipline. Kearney resigned after she claims she was told by school officials they were prepared to fire her.

Case Depends on Similar Offenses

Her case will depend on the extent to which she can show other coaches or other staff members committed the same or similar offense and were then treated more leniently.

The employee must show 1) the comparator is truly comparable, and 2) the offense is the same or similar. And, her case has another twist. The fact she resigned adds another twist. The law recognizes that some situations are so intolerable that a person feels they must quit, but, the situation must be so bad that a person's health is at stake, or the treatment is so degrading. Under Title VII, a person is not entitled to any remedies if s/he voluntarily quits.

There will surely be an issue regarding the extent to which her termination was truly imminent or likely.

After six months, an employee can ask the EEOC for permission to file suit. The 180-day anniversary of Kearney's initial complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission has now passed. In that document, she said she was “subjected to a severely hostile work environment” and former coach intends to sue soon.

UT officials have said they disagree with the allegations in her claim of discrimination, but said they would review them “thoroughly.”