Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
A sixth former San Diego Wave employee has joined a lawsuit filed last year against the team and the National Women’s Soccer League alleging multiple forms of discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination.
The additional former employee, identified in the amended lawsuit as Jane Doe 2, alleges that she was sexually harassed by her male supervisor at the time. The supervisor allegedly sent Jane Doe 2 pictures of his penis and stopped scheduling her for work shifts after she did not respond favorably to him.
The amendment, which was obtained by The Equalizer, adds Jane Doe 2 to a complaint lodged by five other women against the club and the league. Jane Doe 1, who was part of the original lawsuit, alleged that the same ex-employee sexually assaulted her early in her time working for the club.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages for lost wages and benefits and for emotional distress, as well as punitive damages.
In the amended lawsuit, Jane Doe 2 alleges that the former Wave employee “sent increasingly inappropriate and uncomfortable” messages to her on Snapchat and invited her out to bars or to his apartment so they could “get to know each other better.” After she repeatedly sidestepped these invitations, Jane Doe 2 alleges the former Wave employee “continued his incessant unwanted inappropriate advances” and sent multiple pictures of himself, including photos of his penis.
Jane Doe 2 alleges that she was then scheduled for fewer “ambassador” assignments (her work role), a schedule for which was controlled solely by this supervisor. She was terminated in August 2023 per club policy for not working at least two events per month during the season.
The lawsuit alleges that this was quid pro quo sexual harassment.
A San Diego Wave spokesperson previously said that the club would not comment on ongoing litigation. Also reached in October, an NWSL spokesperson provided the following statement:
“The safety, health, and well-being of everyone associated with our league is our highest priority. We take serious any and every report of potential misconduct, hire qualified independent investigators to review those allegations thoroughly, and act when allegations are supported by the facts uncovered. We will not comment specifically about an active legal matter.”
The league previously investigated the Wave’s workplace culture in 2023 and 2024.
The league and the club, not individuals, are named as defendants in the lawsuit, although several Wave individuals are mentioned throughout the lawsuit.
Former San Diego Wave president Jill Ellis separately filed a defamation lawsuit against Brittany Alvarado, one of the former employees who filed the lawsuit, for her July 3, 2024, posts to social media accounts.
Ellis recently left her role as Wave president to join FIFA in a newly created role as chief football officer.
