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An Oregon State assistant coach has filed a lawsuit against the school where she previously coached, leveling a number of allegations including religious discrimination.
Jamie Wiggins filed the lawsuit in November, with named defendants including Idaho State University; the ISU Board of Trustees; the Idaho State Board of Education; university president Kevin Satterlee; and athletic director Pauline Thiros.
Wiggins spent the 2022 season as the pitching coach for the Idaho State softball team. She joined the Oregon State coaching staff in late September of this year, ahead of the 2023 season.
The lawsuit, first reported by EastIdahoNews, includes allegations that the defendants violated Wiggins’ First Amendment rights; her right to freely exercise her religion; and her protections as a public employee.
According to Wiggins in the lawsuit, she was fired for offering to adopt the newborn baby of one of the ISU softball players.
Based on a timeline laid out in the lawsuit and in subsequent media coverage, Wiggins learned of the player’s unplanned pregnancy in April 2022. In May, the player underwent an emergency delivery due to medical circumstances. Born prematurely, the baby was taken to the Neonatal ICU for care. The baby later died on July 28th.
Following the baby’s birth, but before it’s death, the mother asked Wiggins and her husband to adopt the child. The Wiggins’ agreed to do so.
Per court documents, “The decision of plaintiff and her husband Greg Wiggins to offer to adopt the baby was an exercise of their Christian faith. Plaintiff’s religious beliefs dictate the care of orphans in their distress when called upon, with a recognition of harsh consequences for not doing so.”
Following the agreement for the Wiggins’ to adopt the baby, Jamie Wiggins informed an ISU administrator of the plans. On a later call with Thiros, Wiggins also informed the athletic director of the arrangement.
Court documents claim that, after a subsequent meeting, Thiros informed Wiggins that she requested permission from Satterlee [the university president] to fire Wiggins over the matter, but said Satterlee did not approve of the decision. One week later, according to the filings, Wiggins was informed by Thiros that she was to be removed from her role and would not have her contract extended. The documents claim that Thiros informed Wiggins that the decision was based on her offer to adopt the baby.
Idaho State provided a statement on the matter to EastIdahoNews.
“While Idaho State University does not normally comment on the specifics of pending litigation, the university will state unequivocally that the health and safety of its students are always its first priority. The university is committed to taking action to protect its students whenever necessary.
“The university CARES team, a group of university professionals trained to assess the needs of students and determine how to support them, regularly convenes to provide guidance in an emergency situation and determine whether there is an immediate threat of harm to a student’s physical or emotional health. This team is well-equipped to marshal university resources in support of pregnant students and new parents. The University CARES team was very involved in this matter.
“Given the context and facts of this situation and the university’s duty to intervene in actual or perceived conflicts of interest between students and authority figures, when the plaintiff’s contract expired, the university chose not to renew the plaintiff’s one-year contract for another year.
“The university always has the best interests of the student as its sole motivation. Any allegation that the university’s actions were motivated by other reasons is patently false. The university stands by its decision and plans to vigorously defend against this litigation.”
The lawsuit was filed on November 21st and has not yet been scheduled for an initial hearing. The suit charges seven legal violations and requests a jury trial.