Forced to Resign Without Any Wrongdoing on My Part

My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: Florida

Hello everyone, here's my case: I was a volleyball coach at a "prestigious" private school in Florida. I had been the varsity coach. In Oct of 2010(at the end of the school season), the AD called me and said we need to talk. So i went to his office and sat down and asked what he needed. He said that tensions on the volleyball team were high because of the way I played the players. Now, let me interject here and say that I've been coaching for 22yrs at this point and I play the team members according to their ability and the best for the team. He kept going on and on about how there are "certain" kids who should be playing all the time. I asked him to elaborate since this is the first time I ever heard anything like that. He started to tell me how the school(non-profit but very wealthy) relies on donations from the families and other entities to run and that some families are very "generous" to the school in lieu of or expecting certain things. I took what he said as IE: expecting their kids to play regardless of skill or attitude. He continue his spill about how some of those families are very dissappointed about how this season is going so far(now mind you, we have had the two best seasons ever in the schools history) and how he(AD) needed to do something about it. He continued by saying that this same thing happened last year(it was a different AD) but that no one told me. He kept on going making me feel guilty about not doing what's best for the school's economic standing, etc... and that those kids from those families hate the coach, etc, etc.... how the other sports in the school are with the "program" except volleyball.

I don't know how much of what he said was actually true but i do know that some of the kids on the team came from extremely wealthy families. The whole school is very wealthy... kids drive BMWs to school, some drive Mercedes SL600s, etc. So towards the end of our 2.5hr meeting he stated that it's a difficult decision but that i had to do what was best for the school or else. So I went home, thought about it and promptly sent him my letter of resignation. After my resignation, it was chaos for me. The school never released any information of my resignation or why. People i knew in the community thought i just up and left without any explanation. The volleyball club I used to coach for refused to give me a team the following club season due to their ties with the school and because they were unsure of why i left. Even 6-12months later, I still had people and other coached coming up to me asking me what happened. I had sent a letter to the AD asking him to please make an announcement or send a letter to the local newspaper about it but he refused saying that the people that needed to know, knew.

So, do I have a case to sue for forced resignation and harrassment and if so, what is the statue of limitations for it?

and, any lawyer in Florida willing to take this case? Thanks.

vballrican

So, do I have a case to sue for forced resignation and harrassment No and No. (1) You weren't forced to resign - you chose to. (2) This doesn't remotely constitute any form of prohibited harassment (or even the dictionary definition of harassment.)

The school's unwritten policy of bowing to parental pressure if they give generous donations is not illegal.

PS: he actually said you have to resign or you will be fired. So basically, it's their school and they can do whatever they want?

What about the defamation of character? I couldn't get a job at my old club because of this... Thanks.

In what manner have you been harassed or defamed by your former employer? A refusal to release details on a matter related to staff is not harassment, most assuredly not defamation. Neither is people asking you about the circumstances of your resignation, and that's not on your former employer, in any case.

It's not illegal to give you the choice of "resign or be fired".

How were you defamed? By your own statement (The school never released any information of my resignation or why) the school has not said a word about your departure.

You'd only be defamed if, for example, they were telling people you were let go because you were caught selling cocaine to students. That would be an untruth which would cause you economic harm.

So basically, it's their school and they can do whatever they want? As long as no law prohibits something, yes.

I believed I was harrassed... I received quiet a few hate mails, phone calls, and rumors were spread by said parents about me making it very hard to do what i love which is to coach. The community was under the impression that I abandoned the kids due to all these rumors. I even ran into some people that actually said they heard I abandoned those "poor" kids. I shouldn't have to move to a new town to be able to coach again. So, there's nothing i can do?

Harassment is only illegal under employment laws if the person is being singled out for harassment because of their race, religion, gender, age, etc. Getting nasty-grams because some parents and students didn't care for your coaching decisions is not illegal.

I think you got a lousy deal (someone should have explained the "lay of the land" to you regarding wealthy parents before it became an issue) but nothing illegal happened so, no, there is nothing you can do. Sorry.

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Quoting Beth3

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Harassment is only illegal under employment laws if the person is being singled out for harassment because of their race, religion, gender, age, etc. Getting nasty-grams because some parents and students didn't care for your coaching decisions is not illegal.

I think you got a lousy deal (someone should have explained the "lay of the land" to you regarding wealthy parents before it became an issue) but nothing illegal happened so, no, there is nothing you can do. Sorry.

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Yes, I agree. :( Thank you for your time and answers.

PS: Do i need their permission to write a book about my experience there?

Nope. You are free to write a "tell all" if you wish to.

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Quoting Beth3

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Nope. You are free to write a "tell all" if you wish to.

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Thank you.