San Diego State University has agreed to settle a long-running Title IX class action brought by 17 current and former female varsity athletes who say the school shortchanged women on scholarship dollars and other athletic resources. The tentative deal combines a relatively modest cash pool for former athletes with a court-ordered gender equity review intended to change how SDSU distributes aid and benefits going forward.
What the settlement would require
Under the court order, the proposed settlement would provide a gross $300,000 in monetary relief to eligible members of the class, with counsel identifying roughly 826 female student-athletes who could qualify. It also requires SDSU to hire a mutually agreeable neutral third party to conduct a Gender Equity Review and implement a Gender Equity Plan. The reviewer must be satisfied that SDSU will be in compliance with Title IX's requirements on athletic financial aid and treatment by the end of the 2026–27 academic year, and the university will post the plan and annual summary reports online, according to U.S. District Court documents (Justia).
How the case began
The suit was filed in federal court in February 2022 by 17 women who said SDSU deprived its female varsity athletes of equal athletic financial aid and retaliated against those who spoke up. In filings and press statements, the plaintiffs' lawyers said the school’s own data showed women made up roughly 57–58% of the roster in 2019–20 and 2020–21 while receiving only about 50–51% of scholarship dollars, shortfalls the complaint puts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and in some years more than $500,000. As the plaintiffs' counsel has noted, the amended complaint sought more than $1.2 million in lost aid; Bailey & Glasser published details of the filings. The litigation grew out of SDSU's decision to cut the women's rowing program in November 2020, which athletes and reporters say ended the athletic tenure of roughly 50 women, according to ESPN.
Timeline and next steps
Judge Todd W. Robinson granted preliminary approval of the settlement on Jan. 7 and set a final fairness hearing for April 16 at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 14A of the federal courthouse in downtown San Diego. Class members must postmark objections or opt-out forms by March 17, and the parties must file papers supporting final approval by March 19, according to the court order. Local outlets reported on the agreement this week, including coverage by FOX5 San Diego.
