Eve Stephens, who made history as the first female and Asian American Chief of Police at the University of Texas at Austin, has filed a lawsuit against the institution alleging wrongful termination characterized by sex discrimination. CBS Austin reported that Stephens, ousted from her role in September 2024, is seeking a jury trial and is accusing UT of violating Title VII by discriminating based on sex and based on national origin. The lawsuit charges that her dismissal was part of a "coordinated purge of female employees" from the UTPD, according to CBS Austin.
The complaint details that Stephens, after her appointment in June 2023, focused on improving the department in various ways, including initiating pay raises for officers, addressing vacancies, and promoting accountability. However, after roughly six months on the job, administrative changes at the university seemed to quickly undermine her authority. The department was moved under the auspices of UT Austin's Office of Legal Affairs, compelling Stephens to report directly to Vice President Amanda Cochran-McCall, whom the lawsuit alleges exhibited bias against female officers. According to the legal documents obtained by CBS Austin, Cochran-McCall is said to have a "cold, condescending, and unfriendly" attitude toward female staff, a demeanor claimed to be in sharp contrast to her interactions with male counterparts.
The lawsuit further claims that Stephens was granted a 2 percent merit raise by Cochran-McCall before her termination, suggesting that her firing was without cause. The Austin American-Statesman reported that Stephens' firing was followed by the departure of at least seven other female employees, among them another high-ranking Asian American female leader. This has ostensibly contributed to a significant decrease in women's representation within the UTPD leadership, a detail highlighted in the lawsuit, which suggests a pattern of discrimination.
In a particular instance, the lawsuit alleges Cochran-McCall deliberately reopened a hiring process to, seemingly, block the promotion of a female candidate, directly leading her to withdraw her application due to presumed bias. This development, alongside other departures, indicates a troubling trend within the institution, further supported by the fact that in the year of Stephens' termination, a total of six of eight leadership roles formerly held by women were vacated. In 2025, there have been at least two male leaders who left their positions amid ideological clashes, yet the particular attention to female departures signals a potential systemic issue. The Austin American-Statesman notes that Stephens' spot was filled by an "unqualified, hand-picked white male successor who never applied for the job," as stated in the lawsuit.
While UT and the UT System have declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, the allegations have brought a concerning spotlight on the institution's employment practices, particularly in regards to gender equity and diversity within its ranks. Stephens' suit not only calls for an examination of her own dismissal but also invites scrutiny of potential widespread discriminatory patterns affecting women at the university's police department.
