The National Women’s Soccer League is facing a lawsuit after a former employee alleges sexual assault

Five former employees of the San Diego Wave professional women’s soccer team have filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court against the team and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) as a whole.

One of the five plaintiffs said in court documents that she had been sexually abused by a colleague, but did not report the allegation to the club or the police at the time.

The other plaintiffs accuse the women’s football club of, among other things, discrimination, harassment and unlawful termination. The lawsuit alleges that both the team and the league failed to respond to complaints about a toxic work culture. The lawsuit also alleged that the NWSL investigated complaints against the Wave twice, but ultimately nothing was done.

The woman who alleged sexual assault, identified in the lawsuit under the false name Jane Doe, said she did not report the allegations out of fear of retaliation and possible loss of her job. She claims she told her supervisor that another employee had traumatized her and expressed concerns about the work environment at the club and knowledge of an investigation.

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“Shockingly, Defendant NWSL informed Plaintiff Doe during the reading that Defendant Wave had not been informed of her sexual assault because she used the word “assault” instead of the phrase “sexual assault” when reporting the incidents. Defendant NWSL’s own policies do not use the term “attack.” Rather, the vague term “misconduct” is used. “There is no reason to require a sexual assault survivor to use magic language when reporting,” the court documents state.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages for lost wages and benefits, as well as emotional distress and punitive damages.

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“The safety, health and well-being of everyone associated with our league is our top priority,” the National Women’s Soccer League said in a statement. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The league responded in a statement on Wednesday.

“The safety, health and well-being of everyone associated with our league is our top priority. We take each and every report of potential misconduct seriously, engage qualified independent investigators to thoroughly review these allegations, and act when the allegations are supported by the league.” “We will not comment specifically on an active legal matter,” the NWSL said.

The Wave sent The Associated Press a statement on Wednesday about the employee’s complaint.

“This lawsuit concerns allegations originally made on July 3, 2024. As this matter is an ongoing legal proceeding, we cannot comment further at this time,” the team said.

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The lawsuit does not name Wave President Jill Ellis as a defendant. Ellis filed a defamation lawsuit against Alvarado in July, calling the allegations in the social media post false and “personally damaging.”

Alvarado claimed in a lengthy post on X that the workplace was discriminatory and said it had affected her mental health.

Ellis, who coached the U.S. national team to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, responded at the time that mental health issues were a priority for the club and there were support measures in place, including an employee assistance program. She added that the team launched investigations whenever there were allegations of ill-treatment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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