Attorneys Still Disagree in Titan Volleyball Case

Attorneys for Cal State Fullerton and the Titan women’s volleyball team met for about an hour Friday but could not resolve their dispute over the school’s decision to drop the program in January.

However, both parties said progress was made during the settlement hearing, which was presided over by Superior Court Judge Floyd Schenk. They have scheduled another meeting for next Friday.

“We had some productive discussions, but no decision was made,” said Nancy Carlin, who is representing the school. “We made progress. Things went better than expected.”

Neither side would reveal details, but Kirk Boyd, who is representing the team, said he would accept nothing short of full reinstatement of the team.

“They’re reviewing our proposal for a comprehensive resolution of this matter,” Boyd said. “We think this should be settled, that ongoing litigation is a waste of taxpayers’ money that would be better spent on athletic programs of the university.”

The team and Jim Huffman, the former coach, filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming the move to drop volleyball violated state sex-discrimination laws. The team won a temporary restraining order and a subsequent preliminary injunction blocking the move.

A permanent injunction hearing is scheduled for June 4 if the matter cannot be resolved.

In related news, Huffman, who was fired as the team’s coach in March, said he has filed a grievance with the university, claiming he was wrongfully terminated.

And Fullerton President Milton Gordon has been named to an NCAA Gender Equity Committee, a 10-person task force that will look into the relationship between men’s and women’s athletics at U.S. colleges.