A lawsuit filed by a former Cal State Northridge women’s soccer coach who says he was wrongfully fired for exposing alleged wrongdoing at the school should be dismissed, defense attorneys argue in new court papers in which they contend the plaintiff was fired for justifiable reasons.
Keith Andrew West’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations against the Board of Trustees of the California State University include whistleblower retaliation, discrimination, harassment and breach of contract.
“Keith West was terminated as the women’s soccer coach … for violating a California State University policy prohibiting harassment of students based on their sexual orientation,” CSU attorneys state in court papers filed Jan. 13 with Judge Joseph Lipner in advance of an April 7 hearing on the defense dismissal motion.
Instead of accepting responsibility, West blamed the student athletes themselves and launched into “wild conspiracy theory accusations” against others at CSUN, the CSU lawyers further state.
Provost Mary Beth Walker decided termination was the proper discipline, particularly because of West’s alleged lack of remorse and because his victims were student athletes “over whom he wielded great power,” according to the CSU attorneys’ court papers, which further state that two hearings on West’s appeal ended with affirmation of the university’s decision.
“With this lawsuit, West continues down the same path of unhinged conspiracy theories and baseless accusations,” the CSU attorneys contend.
According to his suit, West, now 52, was hired as CSUN’s assistant men’s soccer coach in 2000 and six years later was named head coach of the women’s team. West’s soccer teams were successful on the field and he played a major role in the development of his student athletes by creating a safe and learning environment for his players, both physically and emotionally, according to the suit.
In 2012, Diane Harrison was hired as CSUN president and the next year Brandon Martin was named athletic director. Martin instructed West to terminate one of his male assistant coaches to make room for a female assistant coach, the suit alleges.
When West inquired why he was not awarded a multi-year contract with CSUN in 2015, Martin replied, “Every year I justify your existence, I am protecting you,” according to the suit.
That same year, Tom Ford, the senior associate athletic director for development, told West, “The president wants a female in your position,” according to the suit, which further states that West felt he had a “target on his back.”
In 2018, former Athletic Director Michael Izzi told West to recruit a certain student athlete, explaining that the person’s uncles were “very well connected” and would-be donors, the suit states.
Izzi also told West he wanted the person to have a full-ride scholarship, adding, “What’s a $20,000 scholarship for a $50,000 donation?” according to the suit.
When West resisted, Izzi sent the plaintiffs texts stating, “If you don’t get this kid, I’ll fire you,” the suit alleges.
Izzi, unhappy with West’s refusal to cooperate in the athlete’s recruitment, began singling out West and hired a sports psychologist to conduct a survey about West with his own players, the suit states.
“The survey, as explained to West by one of his players, was about West being racist and homophobic,” the suit states.
When West complained about the “scholarship for a donation illegality” to Vice President for Student Affairs William Watkins, the plaintiff was told he should resign if he wasn’t happy, according to the suit.
In early 2020, West filed a complaint about alleged mistreatment of women in the Athletics Department on the part of both the department administrators and Izzi over the preceding 15 years, the suit states.
West also reported to his supervisor that CSUN’s men’s basketball coach, Mark Gottfried, was violating NCAA compliance rules by recruiting players during a mandatory dead period, a time when schools may not reach out to prospective players, the suit filed in January 2024 states.
West was placed under investigation by CSUN in June 2021 for alleged mistreatment of his players, which left the plaintiff “shocked” because he cared deeply for those on his teams, the suit states.
West was later placed on a paid administrative leave by CSUN while the probe into his treatment of players was done, the suit states.
Prior to a due process hearing, West was denied documents he believed would refute the allegations against him and only the paperwork that CSUN provided was considered by the hearing officer, according to the suit.
West was notified in July 2022 that he would be fired as of December of that year, the suit states.
According to the CSU attorneys’ court papers, West admitted in a deposition that he never complained to anyone at CSUN about allegedly being discriminated against or harassed for being a man.
“And the unrebutted testimony of those responsible for the decision to terminate West shows that he was not terminated because of his gender,” the CSU lawyers further state in their court papers.