Ex-SJSU volleyball coach sues CSU system for wrongful termination amid transgender athlete dispute

A former San Jose State University women's volleyball assistant coach has filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit against the California State University system, saying she was suspended during the season and her contract was not renewed after she spoke out about how the program handled a transgender athlete and related issues.

Batie-Smoose’s contract expired in February, following a suspension that began in November after she filed a Title IX complaint over the team’s handling of a transgender athlete and a female player who objected to that athlete. In the lawsuit, she alleges she “suffered and continues to suffer lost wages, loss of professional reputation and opportunity, emotional distress, and other damages,” and that the defendant’s actions were willful, intentional, or taken with reckless disregard for her federally protected rights.

A spokesperson for San Jose State University said the university is aware of the filing and has no further comment due to pending litigation. The case adds to a broader set of investigations and lawsuits surrounding the program’s handling of the transgender athlete, Blaire Fleming, and the female teammate who raised concerns. The incident prompted a Title IX inquiry and drew attention to the university’s compliance with gender-equity rules in sports.

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The complaint filed by Batie-Smoose follows months of controversy over Fleming’s participation on a women’s volleyball roster. Fleming’s presence, asserted in part by a separate Title IX complaint from the teammate who objected to Fleming’s status, helped trigger a Mountain West Conference investigation earlier this year. The MW later determined that sufficient evidence could not be found to support the allegations tied to the incident, and the case did not move forward with disciplinary findings. Fox News Digital reported that the same law firm hired by the Mountain West to conduct the investigation, Willkie Farr & Gallagher (WFG), also represents the Mountain West in other related litigation over Fleming’s case.

In the wake of the dispute, Slusser, the teammate who objected to Fleming, has pursued multiple legal actions including lawsuits against the NCAA and the Mountain West. She has publicly described what she viewed as a troubling pattern around the handling of locker-room practices and changing spaces, alleging that she was asked to share spaces with Fleming without disclosure of Fleming’s birth sex. Fox News Digital published transcripts and conversations related to those claims, though independent verification of some detail remains limited.

Batie-Smoose has said she faced hostility and threats in the community since taking a public stance on transgender inclusion in women’s sports. She described receiving hostile emails and, at times, confrontations with individuals who disagreed with her position. Weeks after her contract was not renewed, her home in Scotts Valley, California, was vandalized with what was described as a pellet gun in an incident investigated by the Scotts Valley Police Department; no injuries were reported and no motive had been determined.

The university is also under ongoing scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Education for its handling of the Fleming-Slusser case, adding federal oversight to the state-level dispute surrounding the program. The case continues to unfold as legal filings proceed and the DOE review progresses, with all parties maintaining that litigation remains pending.

The broader sports community has followed the case as debates over transgender participation in women’s sports continue to generate controversy at colleges nationwide. The situation at SJSU underscores the legal and reputational risks universities face when navigating complex issues of gender identity, athletics policy, and Title IX rights.