Associate Athletic Director at LSU Claims Termination Was Retaliation for Whistleblowing

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The attorneys for former associate athletic director Sharon Lewis of Louisiana State University (LSU) claim her firing was a result of retaliation.

Lewis had previously filed a $50 million federal racketeering lawsuit against the university over Title IX violations against LSU football players, coaches and officials. She was fired on January 5, and attorneys say the firing was without cause.

Case background

In 2021, Lewis filed state and federal lawsuits that she was denied pay raises and suffered verbal abuse. Included in the lawsuit were allegations that former LSU football coach Les Miles sexually harassed female students who worked with the program and that he made racist remarks.

A federal judge dismissed Lewis’s racketeering claims, but allowed other aspects of her lawsuit to proceed. The state lawsuit is also still in court. Miles was fired in 2016.

According to Lewis’s attorneys, her dismissal violated Louisiana’s whistleblower law and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidelines, plus Title IX.

There are a number of state and federal laws that protect whistleblowers from potential retaliation, including in the form of wrongful termination. Whistleblowers who experience reprisal from their companies after reporting wrongdoing have a right to hold those companies accountable with whistleblower claims and wrongful termination lawsuits.

If you have experienced whistleblower retaliation, contact an experienced whistleblower lawyer at Kardell Law Group to learn how to get started with your case and the options you have to hold your former employer accountable for their actions.

By Steve Kardell | Published February 24, 2022 | Posted in Employee Rights, Wrongful Termination | Tagged racketeering, sexual harassment, termination was retaliation

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