Former Harvard Ice Hockey Coach Rebukes Motion to Dismiss Discrimination Suit

Former Harvard women’s ice hockey coach Katey Stone asked a federal judge not to grant Harvard’s motion to dismiss her gender discrimination lawsuit in a Tuesday filing.

Harvard’s October filing argued that the claims in Stone’s lawsuit were unfounded, largely past the statute of limitations, and that they should not be considered in federal court. But in her response, Stone’s attorneys wrote that Harvard, in its response, “misses the mark.”

“Through its motion, Harvard attempts to skirt liability by misconstruing Plaintiff’s allegations and artfully ignoring the well-pleaded facts in Plaintiff’s Complaint, to argue that this matter should be dismissed,” the motion read.

The lawyers added that her claims were valid even despite statutes of limitations, arguing that she had plausibly alleged gender discrimination and retaliation claims against the University.

“Plaintiff has pled that even in the face of false allegations against her, Harvard treated her less favorably than male coaches in similar circumstances,” the motion read.

Stone left her role as head coach in June after Harvard opened an investigation into her coaching practices. The investigation came after multiple of Stone’s former players alleged she created a toxic environment and downplayed injuries and mental health issues on the team, in allegations first reported by the Boston Globe.

In July, Stone filed a lawsuit against the University in July on the basis of gender discrimination, claiming Harvard treated her unfairly throughout the investigation and later forced her to resign over false allegations of misconduct.

The former head coach also claimed that the incidents leading up to her forced retirement in 2023 are part of a series of discriminatory violations that would not have occurred if she were a male coach.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences spokesperson James Chisholm declined to comment, citing University policy not to comment on active litigation. Andrew T. Miltenberg, an attorney for Stone, did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

In addition to her suit against Harvard for an unspecified amount of monetary damages, Stone is suing 50 anonymous individual defendents for defamation, including Harvard employees and former players.

—Staff writer Elyse C. Goncalves can be reached at elyse.goncalves@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @e1ysegoncalves or on Threads @elyse.goncalves.