Former San Diego Wave employees file lawsuit alleging discrimination and harassment

Five former employees of the San Diego Wave have filed a lawsuit accusing the NWSL club of discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination, among other things.

The lawsuit stems in part from claims made on social media earlier this year by former Wave employee Brittany Alvarado. She was joined by four other plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed Monday.

The lawsuit names the Wave and the NWSL as defendants. It says the team and league failed to act on complaints about a toxic workplace culture.

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

One of the plaintiffs, identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe, says in court documents that she was sexually assaulted by a co-worker. According to the lawsuit, she did not report the allegation to the club or police at the time. Shortly after she reported to a manager that another employee was “traumatizing” her and that she was struggling with mental health issues, she was placed on leave and later fired, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit alleges that the NWSL investigated the complaints against the Wave twice, but ultimately nothing was done.

“The safety, health and well-being of everyone involved in our competition is our top priority. We take every report of possible misconduct seriously, hire qualified independent investigators to thoroughly review these allegations, and act when the allegations are supported by the facts uncovered. We will not comment specifically on an active legal matter,” the NWSL said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Wave also sent the Associated Press a statement Wednesday about the employees’ complaint. “This lawsuit concerns allegations initially made on July 3, 2024. As this matter is an ongoing legal proceeding, we cannot comment further at this time,” the team said.

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

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

Ellis, who coached the US national team to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, responded at the time by saying mental health issues are a priority for the club and that support measures have been put in place, including an employee support program. She added that the team has launched an investigation when allegations of assault have occurred.