The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is currently weighing Title IX challenges by objectors to the House v. NCAA settlement, has now been asked to review a lower-court ruling in a separate case raising Title IX claims over how a school provides NIL-related benefits to male and female athletes.
On Thursday, a group of former University of Oregon beach volleyball players and rowers suing the school filed a petition for permission to appeal a ruling by U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane, arguing the court “manifestly erred” by denying class certification last month in their lawsuit against UO.
The petition comes one week after Quinnipiac women’s rugby players filed a Title IX lawsuit challenging that university’s decision to demote their program to club status. That case, filed in federal court in Connecticut, is believed to be the first Title IX action directly challenging a school’s implementation of the House settlement.
Attorney Lori Bullock represents the Quinnipiac players alongside Christine Brown, while serving as co-counsel in the Oregon case with Arthur Bryant.
The former Oregon athletes originally sued the university in December 2023, alleging it had systematically failed to provide women with athletic opportunities, treatment and resources proportional to enrollment.
