U.S. Women's Team File To Appeal Equal Pay Ruling

U.S. Women's Team File To Appeal Equal Pay Ruling

By Sampson Adedeji

The U.S. women's soccer team have filed to appeal a district court decision handed down last week that dismissed their claims for equal pay, a spokesperson for the team said on Friday.

The team suffered an unexpected blow to their high-profile case against their federation when the court threw out the players' claims that they were under paid in comparison with the men's national team.

District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner said the World Cup champions were paid more on both a cumulative and an average per-game basis than their male counterparts, who failed to qualify for the last World Cup.

The women's team on Friday vowed to continue their fight.

"Equal pay means paying women players the same rate for winning a game as men get paid," said Molly Levinson, spokesperson for the players.

"The argument that women are paid enough if they make close to the same amount as men while winning more than twice as often is not equal pay," she said.

The players had been seeking $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act.

Klausner's ruling, however, allowed the players' claims that they do not receive equal treatment when it comes to travel, training, housing and other areas to proceed.

Those claims will be adjudicated at a trial set for June 16.