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Jeff Carlisle, US soccer reporter
Lawyers representing former Houston Dash manager James Clarkson said they filed a lawsuit against the NWSL, the NWSLPA Players Association and others on Friday, saying Clarkson was defamed when a joint investigation by the league and NWSLPA found he engaged in “abuse and emotional misconduct.”
Others named in the suit include law firms Covington & Burling LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, as well as Amanda Kramer, Mona Patel and Ariana Scavetti, lawyers who were part of the team investigating Clarkson and others.
– Allegations of NWSL abuse, as it happened
The lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN, filed in the U.S. District Court for Harris County, Texas, alleges that the defendants engaged in defamation, tortious interference and conspiracy. Among the damages the lawsuit seeks to recover are those for reputational damage, the monetary value of all benefits lost from the contract into which the defendants tortiously entered, and punitive damages.
“The NWSLPA has been notified by an ESPN reporter that James Clarkson, former Houston Dash coach, intends to include us in a defamation lawsuit,” the NWSLPA said in a statement issued to ESPN. The suit.
“Without notice, we cannot respond to any specific allegations. However, we know the truth is our defense. We are steadfast in our commitment to protecting NFL players, and we will do so anywhere, anytime, anywhere. Including In a court of law, where facts and evidence matter.”
The NWSL did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Each of the other defendants named in the lawsuit was not immediately available when ESPN attempted to contact them for comment.
Clarkson’s lawsuit follows a joint investigation by the NWSL and NWSLPA after reports emerged of multiple allegations of sexual and emotional abuse committed by coaches against players in September 2021. The joint investigation was conducted by the two aforementioned law firms, and was conducted in parallel. With a similar investigation conducted by the US Soccer Federation.
In April 2022, just before the start of the season, Clarkson was suspended by the Dash at the request of the NWSL and NWSLPA after the joint investigation claimed it revealed “preliminary findings” of “discrimination, harassment and abuse.” The NWSLPA issued a statement confirming the reasons for Clarkson’s suspension. Dash continued to pay Clarkson, but he was not allowed to contact the team.
The results of the USSF investigation were published on October 3, 2022, with Clark mentioned five times, once in reference to his suspension, and four other times as part of footnotes. He was not accused of wrongdoing in this report.
The findings of the joint investigation were published in December 2022 and provided details relating to Clarkson’s suspension. It said Clarkson was temporarily suspended after the league received complaints from players that he had engaged in “persistent emotional misconduct and insensitivity.” Upon releasing the final report of the joint investigation, Dash announced that Clarkson’s contract would not be renewed.
The investigation revealed that the majority of players considered Clarkson “fair” and that his behavior did not rise to the level of abuse or emotional misconduct. But the JIT concluded otherwise, citing an incident in which Clarkson reprimanded the team because he believed some of them had gone out drinking the night before an exhibition match, and that the players felt that created a culture of “anxiety and fear.”
Clarkson’s lawsuit states: “The law does not permit professional sports organizations and their attorneys to destroy their careers by publishing defamatory keystrokes to the world. Yet, defendants did exactly that to plaintiff James Clarkson.”
The suit also asserts that the joint investigation report contained 14 baseless allegations and that other members of the Dash staff, such as assistant coach Brenton Saylor, athletic trainer Francis Gilbert, then-team president John Walker, and stadium general manager Juan Rodriguez, who could support Clarkson’s version. Events related to some of the allegations were not interviewed.
The lawsuit also states: “As a result of Defendants’ conduct, Coach Clarkson and his family have been humiliated. His reputation has been tarnished, he has been unable to find comparable employment despite his best efforts, and his job prospects continue to be discouraged.” Limited. Through this lawsuit, Coach Clarkson intends to clear his good name, expose the defendants’ lies, and hold them all accountable for the harm they recklessly and maliciously caused.
