USWNT plans to appeal decision to dismiss equal pay case
One week ago judge R. Gary Klausner from the Los Angeles Superior Court dismissed the USWNT claim and favored the U.S. Soccer Federation in their on-going equal pay case.
After Judge R. Gary Klausner favored the United States Soccer Federation in the equal pay case last week, the United States Women's National Team (USWNT) players decided on Friday to file two motions in federal court seeking to allow them to immediately appeal the judge’s ruling in the pay discrimination lawsuit.
The judge ruled the USWNT's claims regarding lower pay compared to the men's team were insufficient to allow the trial to continue. A new court date is set to be scheduled for 16 June.
"Today, we are filing a motion to allow us to appeal immediately the district court's decision so that the Ninth Circuit will be able to review these claims. Equal pay means paying women players the same rate for winning a game as men get paid..."
“...the argument that women are paid enough if they make close to the same amount as men while winning more than twice as often is not equal pay,” spokesperson Molly Levinson tweeted.
According to various sources the women’s team sought $66 million under the Equal Pay Act but the judge said he decided to dismiss the case because the USWNT had rejected an offer to be paid under the same pay-to-play structure as the men's team.
After the judge made that comment on Friday, Levinson replied saying that the argument presented by Klausner is not a legitimate reason for continuing to discriminate against the women’s team.