Federal judge denies injunction to allow Quinnipiac rugby to remain a varsity sport while lawsuit proceeds
Earlier this month, 23 players filed the lawsuit against the university and various school officials and claimed they violated Title IX by eliminating the team. The complaint alleged that the program was cut as retaliation for equality complaints brought up by longtime coach Becky Carlson over the years.
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A federal judge Tuesday denied Quinnipiac University's women's rugby team a preliminary injunction, which would have allowed the team to temporarily maintain its varsity status while a lawsuit challenging the program's demotion to club level continues.
Earlier this month, 23 players filed the lawsuit against the university and various school officials and claimed they violated Title IX by eliminating the team. The complaint alleged that the program was cut as retaliation for equality complaints brought up by longtime coach Becky Carlson over the years.
The team alleged that by eliminating the program, Quinnipiac would avoid a Title IX retaliation claim by Carlson instead of just firing her. Judge Kari Dooley said the team did not provide evidence to support this claim.
Dooley also wrote that the team did not prove their accusations that they were never supported by the school.
"The Court does not reach this conclusion lightly and recognizes the hardship visited upon the student athletes on the women’s rugby team as a result of the decision to offer only club status women’s rugby. In an effort to mitigate that hardship, the Court intends to issue a condensed case management schedule with an aim of bringing this case to trial as quickly as possible. If Plaintiffs prevail at trial and are awarded the injunctive relief they seek, at least with respect to the Title IX claims relating to the women’s rugby program, the expectation is that there will be sufficient time, in advance of the 2027–2028 academic year, to reinstate the team as a varsity sport," she wrote.
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