Law firms Covington, Weil face pro soccer coach's defamation lawsuit

Dec 11 (Reuters) - A former head coach for the Houston Dash professional women's soccer team has sued two major U.S. law firms, the sports league and its players' union for allegedly defaming him in a December 2022 report focused on league-wide claims of misconduct against players.

James Clarkson, who served as head coach of the Dash from 2018 until his suspension last year, named law firms Covington & Burling and Weil, Gotshal & Manges as defendants in the lawsuit, opens new tab lodged last week in Texas state court.

Clarkson claimed the report published jointly by the two law firms "falsely characterized" him as a "serial abuser" and harmed his reputation.

Covington client National Women's Soccer League and Weil client National Women's Soccer League Players Association were also named as defendants in the lawsuit in Harris County court.

Representatives from Washington, D.C.-based Covington and Weil, headquartered in New York, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The league and its union also did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The two law firms led what they said was a joint investigation that found "widespread misconduct directed at [National Women's Soccer League] players." Some of the alleged misconduct in the report had been publicly reported before the release of the report, according to the 128-page document.

The report said investigators "interviewed seven current and former players who described Clarkson as volatile, verbally abusive, and as not showing appropriate regard for players' wellbeing." The report said Clarkson "created a culture of fear and anxiety."

Clarkson, speaking with investigators, "denied ever raising his voice at players or losing control of his emotions," the report said.

Clarkson in his lawsuit said the joint report was prepared by "hired gun lawyers masquerading as neutral investigators." He said his reputation had been "tarnished" and that his future employment prospects "remain depressingly limited."

An attorney for Clarkson had no immediate comment on the lawsuit.

"Coach Clarkson was collateral damage — a casualty of the League's need to prove that its sudden devotion to workplace decency was real by maximizing the number of heads that rolled," the lawsuit said.

Clarkson is seeking damages based on the injury to his reputation and past and future lost wages, among other demands.

The case is James Clarkson v. National Women's Soccer League LLC, District Court of Harris County, Texas, No. 2023-84755.

For plaintiff: David Minces of Minces Rankin

For defendants: Not yet available