Berry coach settles lawsuit against Indiana University

Posted 8:16AM on Friday 8th February 2002 ( 23 years ago )

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - Indiana University has paid former women's basketball coach Jim Izard - now coach at Berry College in Rome - more than $76,000 to settle a sex- and age-discrimination lawsuit he filed after being fired. The 53-year-old's lawsuit alleged IU violated federal law when it fired him as coach after 12 years and hired Kathi Bennett then 37 - in March 2000. The federal complaint, filed two to three months later, alleged that former athletics director Clarence Doninger told Izard that the university wanted to hire a female coach. Izard also claimed that IU violated equal-pay law by giving Bennett a five-year contract that paid her $110,000 her first year. Her salary this school year is $114,000. Izard had worked on a year-to-year basis, earning $76,775 his final year. That total matched the settlement amount, with $26,065 for emotional distress, $20,000 for regular wages and $30,710 going to Izard's attorneys. IU denied all of Izard's claims in the lawsuit. The settlement that Izard signed Jan. 8 said he acknowledged that IU was not admitting any fault. IU counsel Dorothy Frapwell told The Herald-Times that the university decided that reaching an early settlement was the best way to resolve the lawsuit. Under terms of the settlement, Izard and his attorneys are prohibited from commenting. After his firing, Izard vowed never to coach again. But in June, he took over the women's basketball program at Berry College. Izard also has coached at Livingston, Southwestern Louisiana and DePaul. Izard was fired at IU after the Hoosiers went 10-18 and were bounced from the first round of the Big Ten tournament. His IU teams posted a 188-158 record, but were only 84-123 in Big Ten play.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/2/199043