Santa Barbara & Ventura Title IX Rights Attorneys

Title 9 Rights (Title IX)

Here at Bamieh and De Smeth we believe that all people, no matter their sex, have the right to fully benefit from equal opportunities that educational institutions provide to students and employees across the U.S. This is why we are passionate about representing individuals whose Title IX rights were unjustly violated. Although Title IX is most commonly associated with athletics, it likewise provides protections from a variety of harms resulting from assault, sexual harassment, and even employment discrimination.

Put simply, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 makes it illegal for educational institutions that accept federal funding to discriminate against individuals due to their sex. These institutions include universities, colleges, charter schools, and local school districts. Title IX also applies to educational programs in libraries, museums, and prisons, etc., that receive government funds.

Title IX Cases We Handle

If you were a victim of unlawful harassment, sex discrimination, or retaliation, you have the legal right to file a claim against the individual and/or institution that caused you harm. Coaches and teachers could likewise bring a claim against their educational institutions for acts or policies that violate their students’ Title IX rights. Our Ventura Title IX attorneys at Bamieh and De Smeth have experience handling the following issues:

• Unequal funding or treatment of athletic opportunities and programs
• Sexual harassment and assault
• Employment discrimination
• Pregnancy discrimination
• Unfair policies founded on gender
• Bullying
• Unequal opportunities in career technical education, sciences, math, engineering, technology

Your Rights Under Title IX

Individuals in educational institutions are afforded different protections under Title IX, such as those against gender or sex discrimination, unlawful retaliation, and sexual harassment. Additionally, it provides protections to students and employees who are likewise parents. This means that if an educational institution affords maternity-related activities or services, it must also offer comparable paternity-related opportunities and vice versa.

Under Title IX, unlawful retaliation includes some form of negative or hostile treatment in response to filing a complaint about unlawful discrimination or harassment. These could include: 

• Lowering grades without proper basis
• Denying a student’s participation in an athletic team or program, assigning a student to a lower or less-desirable playing position, or reducing the student’s playing time
• Expulsion or suspension of the student from a sports program or the institution
• Harassing or mistreating the student in the classroom or in the field

It’s also crucial to note that most educational institutions in the U.S. accept some form of government funding, which means that even private schools must uphold the Title IX act and could be held liable for violations.

Reach Out to Our Skilled Ventura Title IX Attorneys Today

Because the laws surrounding the Title IX act change so often, keeping up with it could sometimes be confusing. But you can best believe that you can count on the skilled VenturaTitle IX attorneys of Bamieh and De Smeth to have your back, whether you’re a student or employee, an assigned female or male at birth, or transgender. 

To speak to our Ventura Title IX attorneys about your case in a free consultation, please call 860-644-1548 or complete our online form.