A former high-ranking official in the University of Louisville athletic department has agreed to accept $25,000 as settlement of the whistleblower lawsuit she filed in 2018.
As reported by Fox-affiliate WBRD in Louisville, Kimberly Maffet, an associate athletics director for human resources who was laid off in February 2018, claimed she was let go because of her health issues and reporting “wrongful conduct.”
Maffet claimed she was retaliated against in part because she learned that a Louisville coach (described only as “Coach 3”) “was having an affair with a co-employee,” violating the university’s sexual harassment policy. Her attempts to report the violation “were rebuffed” and other employees “attempted to hide” the information, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in April 2018.
At the time, the university said Maffet was let go as part of restructuring the department to save money and reorganize staff responsibilities. Mark Jurich, the son of former longtime athletics director Tom Jurich, and Julianne Waldron, associate athletics director for marketing, were also laid off.
The lawsuit was dismissed Aug. 6 after the university agreed to pay Maffet $25,000 as well as the cost of her legal fees to mediate the case, according to the settlement agreement, the details of which emerged later after an open records request. Moreover, the university has agreed to give Maffet a “neutral reference,” including only the dates she was employed and her position, to prospective employers, according to the settlement.
In addition, Maffet agreed not to ever again apply for a job at the University of Louisville.
The university denies Maffet’s claims, and both sides are prohibited from talking about the case, according to the settlement.
In the lawsuit, athletics director Vince Trya was accused of firing Maffet, in part, because she had medical issues that caused her to be hospitalized and miss work. The lawsuit also alleged Maffet told the university about another coach, “Coach 4,” verbally abusing employees. The suit also raised concerns about “a coach’s unused University office reserved for his private Foundation.”
In the suit, Maffet described the athletics department as having a “culture of misogynism, sexism, lying, cover-up, and bullying in the Athletic Department.” In addition, Maffet claimed the university violated its nepotism policy in new hires for the football program “who were not qualified.”
