Indiana University, which was named along with IU Indianapolis in a lawsuit filed by former Jaguar players under Paul Corsaro, filed an answer in Marion County Superior Court. As expected, the university system denied the allegations set forth by the players in the lawsuit.
However, in one extra twist, IU filed a third-party claim against Corsaro, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and negligence. While the university itself denied its role in the alleged abuse against the former student-athletes, it attempted to make its own case that Corsaro, and not IU Indy, was in the wrong.
Among IU’s allegations is that what the former IU Indy players, Briggs McClain, Ebenzer Ogoh, Ron Rutland III, Nate Dudukovich, Caleb Hannah and Julian Steinfeld, outlined in the letter sent to athletic director Luke Bosso and Corsaro’s resulting firing were violations of both his contract and the IU system-wide Athletics Code of Conduct, both of which were provided as exhibits in Indiana University’s claim.
In terms of breach of fiduciary duties, IU claimed that Corsaro acted in his own interests and not IU Indy’s and in doing so caused irreparable harm. The negligence component set forth that Corsaro’s supervision of his assistant coaches was performed in a way that they either failed to or chose not to report his misconduct against the student-athletes, which, according to Indiana University, also violated university policies.
The fourth allegation outlines that as the university is being sued as a direct result of Corsaro’s alleged actions, IU (and by extension, IU Indianapolis) should be indemnified from any subsequent judgement, attorneys’ fees and expenses that result.
The claim begins on Page 28 of the document below:
Indiana University is seeking an “amount to be determined by the trier of fact, costs of this action, and attorneys’ fees,” according to the claim. While the claim has been filed, it remains to be determined if Corsaro has been served, as he is currently in Israel as part of the Ironi Ness Ziona coaching staff.
However, as Corsaro has stated publicly that the allegations against him are false, it is expected that upon service of this claim he will have an answer filed, likely reiterating what he has already said, along with seeking the documentation that he said was denied to him soon after his ouster.
As for the initial lawsuit, with the defendants’ answering being filed, the next step will be for all parties to confer and submit a joint Case Management Plan, including the plans of the parties to complete discovery and select a mediator, as ordered by the judge in the case, Jennifer Harrison. They will have 30 days to put this plan together, as dictated by local rules, unless an extension is filed and granted.
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