Former softball coach sues for wrongful termination
A former San Jose State softball coach has sued athletic director Marie Tuite and the California State University system for wrongful termination and retaliation in an expanding case that calls into question the management of the university’s athletics department.
Peter Turner, who coached at SJSU for 14 years until his contract was not renewed last July after a 21-5 season, filed a complaint on Friday a day after school president Mary Papazian publicly acknowledged officials had mishandled a 2009 sexual abuse investigation involving women swimmers.
The sex abuse inquiry is unrelated to Turner and the school’s softball program, according to multiple sources.
The suit in Santa Clara Superior Court lists several small slights as the believed reason for Tuite’s alleged retaliation, ranging from players’ exit interviews that were critical of the department to Turner’s opposition to retaliation against others within the department.
“Turner has never been officially written up or reprimanded while at SJSU and his performance reviews are inconsistent with the decision to terminate him,” the 25page complaint said.
The suit alleges Turner, a member of the National Softball Hall of Fame, was the target of two Title IX investigations initiated by Tuite. Turner and his son, former assistant coach Chase Turner, were subjects of investigations from mid-2018 to January 2019. Chase Turner was accused of sexual harassment in the investigation and put on administrative leave, according to media reports. Peter Turner was alleged to favor certain athletes for playing time, the reports said.
The men were exonerated, according to the lawsuit.
The suit says Turner was let go on July 10, the day after he filed a grievance through the CSU system alleging discrimination, harassment, retaliation by athletic administrators.
“I think anything short of putting Marie Tuite on administrative leave pending investigation is insufficient,” said lawyer Jason Smith, who represents Turner.
Neither the California State University
chancellor’s Office nor the SJSU campus has received or seen a lawsuit, an SJSU spokesman said Friday.
Turner’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions Tuite and the CSU system faces. It started with allegations that former medical director Scott Shaw had inappropriately touched 17 women athletes under the guise of physical therapy. Shaw continued treating athletes at San Jose State for 10 years after the initial investigation.
Shaw, who resigned in August, has denied the allegations through an attorney. No charges have been filed against him, but the university’s handling of the case is under investigation by federal authorities, Smith said.
In March, former deputy athletic director Steve O’Brien filed a wrongful termination and retaliation lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court alleging he was fired for trying to preserve the integrity of an internal investigation into the women’s claims of sexual abuse.
Also last month, 10 former SJSU athletes filed tort claims with the Cal State system as the first step to filing a civil lawsuit. The claimants, whose names were redacted in the documents, allege they were victims of sexual abuse, harassment, and discrimination.
Turner, the former USA men’s softball national team coach, was a two-time conference coach of the year who compiled a 413-329 record. SThe suit asks for unspecified economic damages and “appropriate injunctive and declaratory relief.”