According to lawyer Cameron Norris, former Virginia Tech soccer player Kiersten Hening recently obtained a sizeable payment from her former coach. This result is merely the first step in giving athletes the accolades and safeguards they deserve against improper conduct.
Hening chose to stand up for justice and bring a lawsuit against coach Charles “Chugger” Adair on First Amendment grounds at the beginning of 2021 after opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement led to her benching from her squad.
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See what Fox News said about the circumstance that prompted the first lawsuit:
Hening, a standout Hokies midfielder/defender from 2018 to 2020, reportedly sued her coach Adair, claiming that she had been punished because of their differing political views. Hening’s opinions did not align with those of the squad during the Black Lives Matter-focused summer of 2020.
Hening said that after refusing to kneel during the reading of a “unity statement” before a game versus UVA on September 12, 2020, she was demoted from her starting position and under pressure to quit the team. At halftime, she said that Adair “verbally attacked her” by accusing her of “b–tching and moaning” and poking his finger in her face.
In the complaint, Hening said that when she “supports social justice and believes that black lives matter,” she “does not support BLM the organization,” citing its “tactics and core tenets of its mission statement, including defunding the police.”
Hening had little choice but to file a lawsuit as a result of Adair’s tremendous lack of regard for her, which finally resulted in Adair’s dismissal from the squad.
After a protracted struggle, Hening defeated her old instructor and was awarded an attractive cash settlement of $100,000.
Before any deal can be made, University and state authorities must approve it, even if the settlement’s specifics are still unknown. Once verified, further details about the case’s formal resolution will become available.
Adair made a dubious declaration on January 4th: “I am pleased the case against me has been closed and I am free to move forward clear of any wrong doing.”
Adair would not be paying Hening $100,000 if she were genuinely “clear of any wrong doing.”
“It’s unfortunate, but this ordeal was about a disappointment and disagreement about playing time. Today, we have clarity that this case lacked any standing, and without evidence, the truth has prevailed,” Adair said, utterly oblivious of the $65,000 settlement.
In a tweet, lawyer Adam Mortara criticized Adair:
“If by clarity you mean you are paying my client six figures in a settlement then you’re right that’s pretty clear. Honestly, Coach, read the Court’s opinion. You are paying. Defendants don’t pay in cases that have no standing.”
