The woman who filed a $7.5 million sexual harassment claim against former UA football coach Rich Rodriguez last month has submitted an additional $8.5 million claim against the University of Arizona, saying that the school is liable for Rodriguez’s conduct.
Melissa Wilhelmsen, Rodriguez’s former administrative assistant, says that she was subjected to assault and sexual harassment by Rodriguez, and a hostile work environment within the athletic department, according to the claim filed Friday with the Arizona Board of Regents and obtained by the Star on Saturday.
The document says that Wilhelmsen and her husband also have claims against Rodriguez for slander, defamation and false light, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress stemming from Rodriguez and his wife’s conduct after his firing — including “statements to football players at a team meeting on January 9, 2018.