Southern Section seeks dismissal of private schools’ lawsuits

Lawyers representing the Southern Section have filed a court motion seeking dismissal of three federal lawsuits by four private high schools filed in the wake of the Southern Section’s decision to move the schools into a different geographic group for sports competition last school year.

St. Bonaventure, Oaks Christian, Damien and St. Lucy’s sued the Southern Section and are seeking an injunction to prevent the Southern Section from placing the schools into the parochial area for sports releaguing in 2014-15.

The Southern Section brief says that the lawsuits are “not about religious discrimination” and not about “segregation of private school students from public school students.” Instead, the lawyers say they are about a high school’s disagreement with its geographic placing for sports. The Southern Section is claiming the schools have completed their appeals process.

The schools’ lawyers are expected to respond in writing to the dismissal motion on Friday.

Then it will be up to U.S. District Court Judge Josephine Staton Tucker to rule on the motion. If the cases are not dismissed, discovery will begin and a date set for a trial next year.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com