A federal court has granted class certification in a Title IX lawsuit against Concordia University Irvine (CUI), marking a significant victory for female student-athletes seeking equal opportunities to participate in collegiate sports.
On November 6, 2026, U.S. District Judge Fred W. Slaughter of the Central District of California issued an order allowing the lawsuit to proceed as a class action on behalf of current, prospective, and future female students who participate in, seek to participate in, or have been deterred or prevented from participating in varsity athletics at CUI.
Keller Grover LLP serves as co-counsel for the female athletes challenging the university’s allocation of athletic participation opportunities under Title IX.
Background: Female Athletes Challenge Elimination of Varsity Teams
The lawsuit, Alexandra Grant et al. v. Concordia University Irvine, was filed in August 2025 after CUI announced plans to eliminate its women’s swimming and diving and tennis programs.
The student-athletes alleged that the decision violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded educational programs, including intercollegiate athletics.
In October 2025, the court granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting CUI from eliminating the women’s swimming and diving team, women’s tennis team, or any other women’s varsity teams during the 2025–26 academic year and for the duration of the litigation unless otherwise ordered. The court also required the reinstatement of any eliminated teams, including appropriate funding, staffing, and varsity-level benefits.
The latest ruling allows the plaintiffs to pursue their claims on behalf of a broader group of female athletes.
Court Certifies Class of Female Student-Athletes
The November 6 order certifies a class encompassing:
All present, prospective, and future female CUI students who participate, seek to participate, and/or are or were deterred or prevented from participating in intercollegiate varsity athletics at CUI.
The court appointed eight student-athletes as class representatives: Alexandra Grant, Mikayla Barre, Kiera Gutierrez, Bryn Johnson, Alexandra Leland, Ruby McCullough, Aliyah Treadwell, and Carissa Ward.
In granting certification, the court recognized that the central question—whether CUI provides women with equal varsity athletic participation opportunities—can be evaluated through evidence of the university’s athletic policies and practices as a whole.
The ruling permits the plaintiffs to seek injunctive and declaratory relief benefiting the certified class. Class certification does not constitute a final determination of liability.
Continued Questions About Equal Athletic Opportunities
According to publicly available information cited by the plaintiffs’ counsel, women represented approximately 61.25% of CUI’s undergraduate enrollment during the 2025–26 academic year but received only 53.32% of varsity athletic participation opportunities.
Based on those figures, the plaintiffs’ counsel estimates that CUI would need to add approximately 124 athletic participation opportunities for women to achieve proportional representation.
The lawsuit seeks to ensure that female students receive equal opportunities to participate in varsity athletics, as required by Title IX.
Keller Grover Responds to the Court’s Decision
Eric Grover, partner at Keller Grover LLP and co-counsel for the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling:
“The court’s ruling is a major step forward,” said Eric Grover of Keller Grover LLP, in San Francisco, co-counsel for the women. “Instead of providing equality, CUI has been doing all it can to avoid accountability. This decision shows that will not work. CUI is going to have to answer to its female athletes.”
Plaintiff Alexandra Grant, a junior on the women’s swimming and diving team, also emphasized the broader importance of the decision:
“This is a big victory for all female athletes and potential athletes at CUI, now and in the future.”
The plaintiffs are represented by Arthur Bryant of Arthur Bryant Law, P.C., as lead counsel, together with Keller Grover LLP attorneys Eric Grover and Robert Spencer, Anne Andrews and Robert Siko of Andrews & Higgins, and John Clune and Ashlyn Hare of Hutchinson, Black and Cook.
Protecting Equal Opportunities Under Title IX
The decision represents an important step in the ongoing litigation and reinforces the ability of female student-athletes to seek institution-wide relief through class action litigation.
The case will continue as the plaintiffs pursue their claims that Concordia University Irvine has failed to provide equal athletic participation opportunities under federal law.
Case: Alexandra Grant et al. v. Concordia University Irvine
Court: U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Case No.: 8:25-cv-01793-FWS-JDE
Related Court Documents
- Order Granting Class Certification — November 6, 2026
The federal court’s ruling certifying the class of female student-athletes. - Class Action Complaint — August 13, 2025
The original complaint outlining the plaintiffs’ Title IX allegations and requested relief.
For more information, contact:
Eric Grover
Keller Grover LLP
415-543-1305
eric.grover@kellergrover.com