Judge dismisses Sarkisian’s case against USC

Maya Dondonyan | Daily Trojan File Photo

Former USC football coach Steve Sarkisian’s lawsuit against the University was dismissed by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Tuesday. Both parties will continue to seek arbitration independently.

The University and Sarkisian had previously agreed to settle with arbitration in March 2016, but the dismissal will keep both parties from having to check in periodically with a court. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John Doyle said that, since most arbitration cases don’t make their way back into court, the dismissal will save both legal fees.

“These arbitration cases go on forever,” Doyle said in an interview with My News LA. “They last longer than Superior Court cases frequently.”

Sarkisian sued the University for breach of contract, discrimination based on disability, failure to accommodate for a disability and retaliation in December 2015. In the suit, Sarkisian claimed that former Athletic Director Pat Haden didn’t allow him to seek proper treatment for his alcoholism before firing him from his position as head coach midseason.

He claimed he was owed at least $12.6 million for both his coaching contract and a marketing agreement through the University. Carol Mauch Amir, the general counsel for the University, claimed that the suit was packed with “half truths” and “outright falsehoods,” according to the LA Times.

Sarkisian was fired in October 2015 after appearing to be under the influence at the football team’s annual kickoff event. He later released an apology, including an explanation that he had reacted poorly to a mix of medication and alcohol. In his apology, he also asked his team to give him the punishments he would level on his players in a similar situation: doing a set of up-downs.

But several weeks later, Sarkisian was put on a leave of absence after being accused of coaching while under the influence. He was fired on Oct. 12 and checked into treatment, while current head coach Clay Helton stepped into his position on an interim basis.

Since his firing, Sarkisian joined the Alabama football program as an offensive coordinator ahead of the 2017 national championship, then left to become the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.