TTU responds after fired coach Marlene Stollings files suit against Texas Tech, AD Hocutt

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Former Lady Raiders head basketball coach Marlene Stollings has announced she is filing a lawsuit against Texas Tech University and Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt, after she was fired this year following allegations of a hostile and inappropriate environment.

Stollings believes she was fired without cause in August and has retained attorney Peter Ginsberg to pursue litigation against the school.

The complaint alleges nine claims for relief, including breach of contract, defamation, fraud, and violations of Title IX protections.

In the release announcing the suit, Stollings says the report that led to her termination focused “almost entirely on transferring Texas Tech student-athletes, many of whom were looking to convince the NCAA to grant immediate eligibility waivers," claiming two internal investigations already revealed the complaints “to be false and completely exonerated Stollings and the Lady Raider Basketball program.”

Part of Stollings' complaint also alleges that the decision to terminate her was discriminatory, claiming she was penalized for identifying as LGTBQ, and employing “the same demanding and effective coaching techniques that male coaches at the school utilized, and continue to utilize, without consequence.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Texas Tech University System General Counsel Eric Bentley issued the following statement:

“I have reviewed the claims made by Marlene Stollings in her lawsuit and they are without merit. Her dismissal was handled in accordance with her contract and was appropriate from a legal standpoint. Her mistreatment of student-athletes and the public embarrassment it caused the university was unacceptable. I am confident in the defense of our leadership, who did the right thing to prioritize the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes.”

Read the full announcement from Stollings below: