Former UC Davis equestrian athletes sue school over alleged Title IX violations
Nineteen former members of UC Davis' women's equestrian team have filed a federal class-action lawsuit accusing the university of violating Title IX by failing to provide female athletes with an equal share of athletic financial aid.
The lawsuit, announced Tuesday and filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, seeks damages for current and former female athletes and asks a judge to require UC Davis to provide equal athletic financial aid going forward.
The plaintiffs are seeking nearly $1.4 million for female athletes based on athletic financial aid awarded during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years, according to their attorneys. The lawsuit also seeks additional damages for other years, including the most recent academic year, for which the plaintiffs say the amounts are not yet publicly available.
UC Davis said it strongly disagrees with the allegations.
"We strongly believe we are in compliance with Title IX," the university said in a statement. No additional comment on the matter was made.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination at educational institutions that receive federal funding. In athletics, schools are required to provide athletic financial aid to male and female athletes in amounts proportional to their participation rates.
The lawsuit alleges UC Davis' own financial data shows the university has not met that requirement.
The plaintiffs' attorneys point to an independent external assessment commissioned by UC Davis as well as information the university reported to the U.S. Department of Education under the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act.
"This case isn't complicated. It's math," said Eric Grover, an attorney representing the athletes. "Based on the numbers UC Davis provided to the federal government, the math shows UC Davis is discriminating against its female athletes in violation of Title IX."
The lawsuit was filed after UC Davis eliminated its women's equestrian team.
Anna Donovan, a UC Davis senior and former member of the equestrian team, is among the plaintiffs.
"We were devastated when UC Davis eliminated the equestrian team, which was successful and thriving," Donovan said. "Then, we were stunned even more when the school tried to defend its decision by releasing a consultant's report showing it was depriving women athletes annually of hundreds of thousands of dollars in equal athletic financial aid."
The lawsuit argues that the alleged financial-aid disparity affected female athletes across UC Davis athletics, not just members of the equestrian team.
"When UC Davis cut the equestrian team, it showed what it cared about was the money. So, this case focuses on the money," said Arthur Bryant, lead attorney for the plaintiffs. "UC Davis's own numbers show it has been cheating its women athletes out of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in equal athletic financial aid."
The lawsuit names 19 former equestrian athletes as plaintiffs, including Donovan, Avery Adamson, Sophia Blake, Addyson Brown, Mya Clader, Sabine Close, Katya Dundas, Chloe Fares, Margaret Franke, Carmen Gonzalez, Liliana Grosz, Laura Holliday, Hannah Janicki, Nicole Jimenez, Nicole Shroyer, Cavan Smith, Zadie Stack, Lola Sullivan and Mylea Trimble.
