KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A judge has ruled that former Tennessee director of sports medicine Jenny Moshak and two ex-Lady Vols strength coaches must remove a reference to former Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt from their complaint in a lawsuit against the university.
The complaint in the lawsuit filed by Moshak, Heather Mason and Collin Schlosser said Tennessee athletic director Dave Hart "forced Coach Pat Summitt into an involuntary early retirement." Summitt has indicated it was her choice to step down for health reasons in April 2012, and she remains on Tennessee's staff as head coach emeritus.
U.S. District Judge Bruce Guyton granted the university's motion to strike that reference Monday. Guyton said the reference was "immaterial" to the plaintiffs' claims and that the allegation "does not hold water when Coach Summitt voluntarily retired from her position as head coach and continues to serve as an employee of the university."
In their lawsuit, Moshak, Mason and Schlosser say they performed similar tasks as employees who held similar positions for men's teams, but that they received less compensation either because of their gender or due to their association with women's teams.
The case is set to go to trial June 23.