Overview
- The six individual lawsuits were filed Feb. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, with all plaintiffs represented by attorney Keenan Holmes.
- Plaintiffs Favor Ayodele, Raeven Boswell, Makayla Elmore, Brooklynn Miles, Isabella Perkins and Jasmine Timmerson allege a hostile, discriminatory and retaliatory team environment in violation of Title IX.
- The complaints cite specific incidents, including an alleged post-practice remark about wanting to kill himself, xenophobic comments such as telling a player to go home because ICE was coming, body-shaming and hostility toward mental-health concerns.
- The suits assert that university officials were informed but failed to act, naming senior administrator Jennifer Tuscano, former athletic director Heather Lyke and assistant vice chancellor Laurel Gift, and they allege retaliation such as pressure to enter the transfer portal and threats to scholarships.
- The plaintiffs seek compensatory and punitive damages, declaratory and injunctive relief and restoration of records, while the university and Verdi’s attorney describe the allegations as entirely without merit.