COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Fired Ohio State marching band director Jonathan Waters has filed a federal lawsuit requesting reinstatement on grounds that the university denied him due process.
The lawsuit also alleges that the school, President Michael Drake and a provost engaged in sexual discrimination by denying him a second chance given a similarly-disciplined female employee.
Ohio State called the claims baseless.
“Jon Waters concealed and shielded the significant cultural problems within the band and took it upon himself to take corrective action. Ultimately, whatever efforts he might have taken were incomplete and ineffective at protecting our students and failed to meet the standards this University has for those responsible for our students,” university spokesman Chris Davey said in a statement issued Friday evening.
The 38-year-old Waters told reporters Friday he wants mainly to restore the band’s reputation.
A two-month investigation before his July 24 firing concluded Waters knew about but didn’t stop a “sexualized” band culture of rituals that included partially-clad marching, groping games and sometimes explicit nicknames.
Waters’ attorneys told the court the report has been largely discredited. The lawsuit seeks a minimum of $1 million in compensatory damages and a court-ordered name-clearing hearing.