UI settles lawsuit with former athlete in sexual assault case. She’ll work with new AD.
Former University of Idaho diver Mairin Jameson has settled her lawsuit against the University of Idaho over its handling of her sexual assault complaint and has pledged to work with new Athletic Director Terry Gawlik to improve the culture in the department, the school announced Thursday.
Jameson will receive $160,000 from the state of Idaho as part of the settlement, according to a press release. Her lawsuit will be dismissed.
Jameson sued the university in October 2018 over her sexual assault complaint against a football player in 2013. She wrote about her experience in a blog post in early 2018, and a subsequent Idaho Statesman investigation published in March 2018 showed that the university failed to follow Title IX guidelines and university policy in her case. The university commissioned an independent investigation, and then-Athletic Director Rob Spear was fired by the State Board of Education in August 2018.
Gawlik was hired in August 2019 after 14 years as the senior female administrator at Wisconsin. She is the university’s first female athletic director.
“I am proud to see the positive changes that have taken place at Idaho since coming forward with my story,” Jameson said in the press release. “I am impressed with their hiring of Terry as the new athletic director. I know that she carries the same sentiments as I do to continue to make positive changes at the university. I am looking forward to working with her to further improve the University of Idaho and will continue to help raise national awareness to these campus issues.”
A judge ruled in October 2019 that Jameson’s case could continue under a “heightened-risk claim” because she didn’t know until 2018 some of what transpired between the football player and two other female students before her alleged assault. Another claim specific to how her case was handled was dismissed because of a two-year statute of limitations.
Jameson will visit campus and speak to student-athletes later this year, according to the release. She will work with Gawlik “to further improve the culture within the U of I athletic departm
Jameson was the 2014 Western Athletic Conference Diver of the Year as a senior.
“I am committed to providing the leadership needed to continue to improve the culture inside Vandal Athletics,” Gawlik said in the release, “and to educate and train our coaches, staff and student-athletes so our athletes have the best possible college experience in their studies, in their competition and in their personal growth. I welcome a partnership with Mairin in these efforts. She was a fine student and a conference champion athlete at the University of Idaho. Her willingness to work with our current student-athletes and work with the athletic department speaks volumes of her character and bravery.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 4:30 PM.
