Former Northwestern cheer coach Pamela Bonnevier filed a motion to dismiss allegations of her involvement in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed in January. Bonnevier, who was fired prior to the filing of the suit, joined the University and three other NU employees as a defendant. 

The suit, filed by former NU cheerleader Hayden Richardson, claims Bonnevier and the other defendants allowed members of the cheer team to be placed in a situation where they were subject to sexual harassment by top University donors, fans and alumni. 

Bonnevier’s motion was filed on June 16, and claims that in her role as cheer coach, she was not directly responsible for the actions of the attendees at such events. 

The motion also argues that Richardson’s lawsuit fails to connect the sexual harassment with any donations to the University and doesn’t allege that Richardson was under threat of serious harm — both of which, it says, should result in the dismissal of some of the counts outlined in Richardson’s suit. 

In May, the University also filed to dismiss most of Richardson’s complaint, just before announcing the hiring of Mike Polisky as NU’s next athletic director. Polisky has since resigned, and was replaced by Derrick Gragg. 

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Twitter: @jacobnfulton

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