Laurel Wartluft, Feather River Community College (FRC)
Laurel Wartluft , began working at Feather River Community College in August 2004 as Head Coach of the Women’s Basketball team and faculty member. This was a one-year emergency hire with the promise that it would be made into a full-time, tenure-track position beginning in 2005. She left a coaching position based on this assurance. The Athletic Director Thien informed the president that if the coaching position was not made a permanent, full-time position, the college would be in danger of not complying with Title IX. Wartluft applied for the posted position as the incumbent coach. The hiring committee ranked her second choice despite having the most experience. It was reported that the EEO coordinator, also on the hiring committee said that Wartluft was a “closet lesbian.” Wartluft was hired as Head Basketball coach and Physical Education instructor.
The next month, the FRC president said she was considering not funding women’s basketball or making it into a part time position and that Wartluft “wouldn’t fit in …because she was a lesbian.” At the time, Wartluft had been teaching four courses for the fall semester of 2005. Wartluft had been working for two months as a full time employee and had not received pay. She also had complained that FRC discriminated against females in the way it funded, selected, hired and compensated faculty and coaches for female athletics. Wartluft also inquired when she would finally receive the written contract and receive her full time pay. After her last inquiry on October 31, 2005 she received a memo from Human Resources stating that she had been removed from her teaching assignments. The following week she met with the HR Director for what she thought would be a review of her contract only to be given a letter reassigning her coaching responsibilities and effectively terminating her. She never received the salary owed to her and was replaced with a less-qualified male employee.
In November 2006,Wartluft filed suit against Feather River Community College in state court for sex discrimination and retaliation for complaining of sex discrimination in violation of the California Fair Housing and Employment Act, and failure to pay agreed compensation in violation of California Labor Codes.
The case is currently in discovery with an expected trial date of January 2008. Click here to go to AAUW Legal Advocacy Cases for updates on this case.