Tennis Coach Wins Title IX Suit; Awarded $2.9M for Defamation

Last week, an Illinois jury awarded $2.9M in damages to Brian Holzgrafe, the former tennis coach at Quincy University (QU). The award is for Holzgrafe’s counterclaims against a former QU student-athlete. The $2.9M is comprised of $2M for damage to Holzgrafe’s reputation and emotional distress, along with $40,000 for loss of wages and $874,000 in punitive damages.[1]

Holzgrafe and QU were among several defendants named in an April 2018 federal civil suit filed by Daniel R. Lozier II, a former member of QU’s tennis team.[2] Lozier alleged that as a result of his participation in a Title IX investigation into Holzgrafe, the coach retaliated by effectively removing him from the team and turning his teammates against him.[3]

Following Lozier’s interview with the QU’s Title IX office, the substance of what Lozier had said became well-known within QU’s tennis program.[4] Holzgrafe expressed his disappointment with Lozier via text, and some of his teammates expressed their feelings about Lozier by drawing images depicting him as a “snake” and a “rat.”[5] As a result of the situation, Lozier alleged that his educational environment became hostile.[6]

As is relevant to Holzgrafe’s counterclaims, Lozier’s complaint alleged that Holzgrafe had engaged in multiple instances of misconduct. Namely, lying about a hit-and-run incident on a team trip and a having a sexual relationship with a member of the women’s tennis team.[7]

In July 2019, Holzgrafe filed counterclaims for defamation and false light/invasion of privacy.[8] Holzgrafe alleged that Lozier and his mother repeated and spread false statements about him, including the claim that he had been sexually intimate with a female member of the tennis team and that a different female tennis player had left the program because Holzgrafe made advances towards her.[9]

Holzgrafe said that these statements were damaging to his career. He also asserted that the statements were made willfully, maliciously, purposefully, and deliberately.[10]

Ultimately, Lozier settled his claims against QU in February 2022 and chose to dismiss his claims against Holzgrafe in March 2022.[11] Holzgrafe dropped his false light claim in early April 2022, leaving only the defamation claim for which Lozier was found liable in late 2023.[12]

The court papers and recent reporting show that the initial Title IX investigation was because Lozier had spread the information about Holzgrafe.[13] He then participated in the investigation that he caused. When the substance of what Lozier said got out, people were not happy and Lozier ultimately sued under Title IX. Interestingly, it appears that what Lozier had said in his interview with QU’s Title IX office was not leaked by anyone at the school, but rather by Lozier’s then girlfriend.[14] From start to finish, it seems Lozier may have been the source of his own problems.

This case highlights the importance of a well-functioning legal system. In today’s day in age, it is easy for allegations to snowball and be taken for face value. This, combined with the fact that there are many known instances of coaches acting inappropriately, could lead people to believe untested allegations. Thankfully for Holzgrafe, the allegations against him, and his counterclaims were tested before a jury. As an aside, it is worth noting that the Holzgrafe’s alleged relationship with a member of the women’s team was brought up by Lozier, not a woman coming out against Holzgrafe.

Image credit: Illinois Times

[1] https://www.law360.com/sports-and-betting/articles/1825035/tennis-coach-awarded-2-9m-for-defamation-in-title-ix-suit

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Lozier v. Quincy University Corporation et al (3:18-cv-03077), Complaint at 9.

[5] Lozier v. Quincy University Corporation et al (3:18-cv-03077), Complaint at 10-11.

[6] Id.

[7] https://www.law360.com/sports-and-betting/articles/1825035/tennis-coach-awarded-2-9m-for-defamation-in-title-ix-suit

[8] Id.

[9] Id.

[10] Id.

[11] Id.