President of California pro women’s soccer team files defamation suit against ex-staffer who alleged workplace abuse

San Diego Wave FC President Jill Ellis has filed a defamation lawsuit against a former employee whose widely circulated social media posts earlier this month alleged a toxic, discriminatory and abusive work environment at the club.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in San Diego Superior Court, alleges that former team videographer Brittany Alvarado “undertook a completely unexpected and malicious campaign to defame Ellis and destroy her hard-earned stellar reputation and livelihood” when she published statements on social media on July 3 claiming in part that Ellis “has compromised countless lives to advance her narcissistic personal agenda.”

The lawsuit also claims that an email that Alvarado posted a screenshot of, which purported to show a team employee disparaging Alvarado after she resigned from the club, was sent from a fake account — and that Alvarado herself was likely involved in creating it.

“None of (Alvarado’s) statements about Ellis are true, and all of them are highly defamatory,” Ellis’ lawsuit alleges.

Ellis, who won World Cups in 2015 and 2019 while coaching the U.S. Women’s National Team, became president of Wave FC in January 2021 ahead of the San Diego club’s inaugural 2022 season in the National Women’s Soccer League. The suit alleges that Alvarado’s “false and defamatory statements have caused tremendous harm to Ellis and her personal and professional reputation.”

The lawsuit also contains a claim of intentional interference with contractual relations, alleging that Alvarado’s post and the ensuing negative media coverage prompted the cancellation of a previously scheduled speaking engagement for Ellis and the tanking of negotiations for a second speaking engagement.

And the suit claims that Alvarado was the team employee who filed a workplace misconduct complaint with the league in February, news of which emerged after Alvarado made her allegations online. The NWSL said earlier this month that a third-party investigation of that complaint found “no violation of league policy.”

The team, which has denied the allegations by Alvarado, did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit Tuesday. Attorneys representing Ellis also declined to comment.

Alvarado’s attorneys said her social media posts were protected by the U.S. Constitution.

“Our client, a courageous former employee, has stepped forward to exercise her First Amendment rights, shining a light on the pervasive gender discrimination and emotional abuse within the organization,” attorney Casey Hultin told the Union-Tribune in a statement. “Her voice, echoing the experiences of many, calls for immediate and substantial change to protect both staff and athletes from further harm. This is not just a plea for justice; it’s a demand for a safe, respectful, and equitable environment for all.”

Alvarado’s social media posts, one of which remains pinned at the top of her profile on X, formerly Twitter, claimed that she and other employees had endured treatment under Ellis’ leadership that was “nothing short of life-altering and devastating to our mental health.”

The post prompted at least three other former team employees to come forward on social media with similar allegations. The team’s star forward, Alex Morgan, also issued a statement the same day that she was “disappointed to hear about the allegations made by multiple former Wave FC employees.”

Morgan’s post on X said in part: “I want to be proud of what we are building at the Wave but it is clear that there is so much work to be done.”

In a reply to her original post on X, Alvarado included a screenshot of what she described as an email sent to her from “a senior leadership member” of the team’s front office, though the name and email address of the purported sender were redacted. “You are the most pathetic person I’ve ever met,” read the message. “You must have no sense of work ethics or integrity. We are static (sic) you are no longer with the club.”

The lawsuit contains a second screenshot of the same email showing it was sent from a Hotmail account spoofing a team executive’s name, not an official team account. Ellis alleges the same email account impersonating the executive also sent messages to NWSL’s commissioner, the league’s head of human resources and a Wave employee.

Ellis alleges that Alvarado had some sort of hand in the creation of the spoof account and the messages it sent, as well as an anonymous text message to a Wave player that disparaged the team president.

Ellis also alleges the Wave “had serious issues with (Alvarado’s) performance and conduct from the beginning of her employment,” that Alvarado improperly socialized with players outside of work in violation of the club’s rules, and that on multiple occasions she celebrated with players on the field instead of filming post-game content as her job required.

On at least three occasions, Alvarado’s direct supervisor or the team’s general manager spoke to her about maintaining appropriate professional boundaries between staff and players, according to the lawsuit. Ellis finally spoke to Alvarado late last year — the first and only time the women spoke, according to the lawsuit — after the videographer allegedly celebrated with the team’s players instead of filming celebrations after the Wave won the 2023 NWSL Shield as the top team in the regular season.

On that occasion, Alvarado “walked arm and arm with a player around the stadium with her camera down waving at fans as though she was one of the players,” the suit alleges. This “persistent disregard for the requirements of her job” finally prompted Ellis to meet with Alvarado, according to the lawsuit.

“Defendant was reminded of the Club rule that professional boundaries with players must be maintained,” the lawsuit alleges. “In response to Ellis, Defendant was rude and insubordinate, falsely stating: ‘I was doing my job.’”

The lawsuit seeks damages for the alleged economic harm Ellis has faced because of Alvarado’s claims and an order for Alvarado to permanently stop publishing defamatory statements.