Federal judge dismisses grifter Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against NCAA’s trans-inclusive policies

This story originally appeared on Them.

A federal judge dismissed Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), accusing the organization of violating her Title IX rights, on September 28. This dismissal comes after U.S. District Judge Tiffany Johnson concluded that the evidence provided by Gaines’ team did not establish that the NCAA was a recipient of federal financial assistance, something that must occur in order for the Title IX law to apply.

The lawsuit in question was put forth by Riley Gaines and a group made up of both current and former female collegiate athletes back in March 2024 and centers their claim that the NCAA violated their Title IX rights by implementing trans-inclusive policies.

Gaines is known for tying in fifth place with trans athlete Lia Thomas during the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Georgia Tech in the 200-yard freestyle final. Thomas became the very first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I championship, winning gold in the 500-yard freestyle.

Gaines and her legal team plan to appeal the decision in order to continue their pursuit of suing the NCAA, per Politico. They must file a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit within 30 days to continue the lawsuit.

The evidence that Gaines’ legal team attempted to use in the lawsuit centers on money streams of the NCAA and the Department of Defense, both of which contributed money to the University of Indiana. Johnson maintained that the two organizations have separate funding streams, writing that “there is no evidence that the NCAA ever received, or could have received, federal funds. Thus, Plaintiffs’ Title IX claims cannot proceed." According to Johnson’s order, “[the] department’s money went to the university and other research participants rather than to the NCAA.”

The NCAA also filed a motion for summary judgement on the lawsuit’s other Title IX claims which was granted by Johnson, essentially closing the case at that court level.

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