Cal State Los Angeles has agreed to pay $2.75 million to a former top athletic department official who accused the school’s ex-athletic director of sexual harassment.
Sheila Hudson filed suit against Mike Garrett and the school in 2016 and accused both of violating California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and of intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to The Los Angeles Times, which obtained a copy of the agreement.
“This settlement is a compromise of disputed claims and is not an admission by any party of any liability or wrongdoing,’’ the settlement said. ‘’The parties specifically deny any wrongdoing of any kind whatsoever and the parties enter into this agreement to buy their peace and avoid the further costs of litigation.’’
The agreement also ended the school’s lawsuit against Hudson that accused her of secretly recording conversations with four employees, a violation of state law.
Hudson served as the senior associate athletic director at the university before leaving the school in May 2017. Her lawsuit accused Garrett of using “sexist names such as ‘sweetheart,’ ‘love,’ and ‘babe’ for women in the school’s athletic department and said Garrett “exploded’’ when she raised the issue, the paper said.
She also accused the school of retaliating against her after she produced a report that showed gaps in pay between men and women in the department.
The agreement bars Hudson from applying for jobs at any California State University and requires she delete any social media posts that referenced the litigation, the Times reported.
