Equal pay lawsuit: U.S. Soccer reiterates retraction of sexist argument; Rapinoe, Morgan named potential witnesses
In the latest equal pay lawsuit filings, U.S. Soccer reiterated its retraction of the sexist argument it made in early March, and a list of potential witnesses for the trial was revealed.
Two weeks after U.S. Soccer’s admitted “error” in legal strategy, U.S. Soccer wrote, “USSF no longer disputes that the jobs of the WNT and MNT players require equal skill, effort and responsibility—and therefore has necessarily conceded that they perform equal work.”
The USWNT is seeking $67 million in back pay in the suit. When the women filed that lawsuit, U.S. Soccer initially responded by arguing the women have less “ability” than the men based on “the level of certain physical attributes, such as speed and strength.”
A spokeswoman for the USWNT, Molly Levinson, criticized that argument at the time, saying it belonged “in the Paleolithic Era.”
Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan among potential witnesses
In the event no settlement is reached, big names like Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Christen Press and Becky Sauerbrunn could potentially be called as witnesses at the trial.
Among other things, the filings say they could testify about the collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer and unsatisfactory working conditions, such as worn-down fields and transportation.
The USWNT originally filed the equal pay lawsuit against U.S. Soccer ln March 2019. After months of going back and forth, the situation could come to a head soon..
What will happen with USWNT’s equal pay lawsuit next?
The issue is slated to go to trial in May, though that seems unlikely to happen as scheduled. The trial could be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it could also be scrapped due to a settlement.
New U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said U.S. Soccer would prefer to reach a settlement with the USWNT. Parlow Cone — who replaced Carlos Cordeiro after his resignation on March 12 — said she didn’t think “a trial is good for either party.”
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