US Soccer files response to lawsuit filed by women’s team

By: Anne M, Peterson, The Associated Press Posted: 11:27 PM CDT Monday, May. 6, 2019 Last Modified: 12:02 AM CDT Tuesday, May. 7, 2019

Advertise with us

The U.S. Soccer Federation has formally denied allegations of gender discrimination made by players of the U.S. women's national team.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has formally denied allegations of gender discrimination made by players of the U.S. women's national team.

Read unlimited articles for free today:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/05/2019 (2708 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has formally denied allegations of gender discrimination made by players of the U.S. women’s national team.

Twenty-eight members of the current women’s player pool filed the lawsuit March 8 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, alleging “institutionalized gender discrimination” that includes unequal pay with their counterparts on the men’s national team.

The USSF filed its answer on Monday, about one month before the Women’s World Cup. The USSF claims every decision made “with respect to the conduct alleged in the complaint was for legitimate business reasons and not for any discriminatory or other unlawful purpose.”

FILE - In this April 5, 2018, file photo, United States' Allie Long (20) blocks Mexico's Renae Cuellar (21) path to the goal during the second half of an international friendly soccer match, in Jacksonville, Fla. Defender Ali Krieger and midfielders Allie Long and Morgan Brian have been included on the U.S. national team roster for the Women‚Äôs World Cup in France. All three were widely considered on the bubble for the 23-player roster announced Thursday, May 2, 2019, by coach Jill Ellis. The United States is the defending champion of soccer‚Äôs premier tournament, which starts on June 7. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

The federation has maintained the differences in pay are the result of different collective bargaining agreements that establish distinct pay structures for the two teams. Those agreements are not public.

U.S. Soccer also maintained in the response that any alleged differences in pay between the men’s and women’s national teams were not based on gender, but “differences in the aggregate revenue generated by the different teams and/or any other factor other than sex.”

“There is no legal basis for USSF’s claim that it is anything other than a single employer operating both the men’s and women’s teams — who face drastically unequal conditions and pay under their shared employer, said Molly Levinson, a spokeswoman for the national team players who filed the lawsuit. “The USSF cannot justify its violation of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII by pointing to the teams’ separate collective bargaining agreements or any factor other than sex. Even as the most decorated American soccer team in history, USSF treats the women’s team as ‘less-than’ equal compared to their male colleagues. We look forward to a trial next year after the World Cup.”

The USSF and the women’s team agreed in April 2017 to a collective bargaining agreement through 2021 that gave the players higher pay and better benefits.

The federation claims the allegations do not rise to the level required for punitive damages because there is no evidence of malicious, reckless or fraudulent intent to deny the players their rights.

The lawsuit brought by current national team players is an escalation of a long-simmering dispute over pay and treatment. Five players filed a complaint in 2016 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that alleged wage discrimination by the federation. The lawsuit effectively ended that EEOC complaint.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports