If American women’s football players want a jury trial on their claim of discriminatory working conditions, they must wait until next year.
US District Judge R Gary Klausner told the players and the US Soccer Federation on Wednesday that jurors were not available during the novel coronavirus pandemic. He informed the sides if they wanted to stick with their Sept. 15 trial date, they would have to agree by Aug. 6 to a bench trial in which he would decide the verdict.
If they want a jury trial, he would postpone the start until Jan. 26. The players are confident that they will prevail at trial and are considering the options presented by the court for proceeding,” players’ spokeswoman Molly Levinson said in a statement.
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Klausner decided on May 1 that women were unable to show sexism over compensation and issued a partial summary judgment appeal from the USSF. He said the women’s national team union declined an offer to be paid under the same pay-to-play system as the collective bargaining deal between the men’s national team and the women agreed fixed salaries and better benefits along with a different bonus structure.
He also refused to let go to trial allegations the women were discriminated against because they played more games on artificial turf.