A Baton Rouge judge on Monday dismissed several counts from a former LSU recruiter's sweeping lawsuit against university officials and the Tigers' ex-football coach Les Miles.   

Sharon Lewis, a former associate athletic director, filed suit against LSU last year, alleging an atmosphere of hostility and discrimination was allowed to fester at the university after she reported sexual harassment claims two female students made against the coach. 

Long-tenured 19th Judicial District Court Judge Tim Kelley dismissed seven of the 13 counts filed against several of the defendants in the case, which lists LSU's Board of Supervisors and more than a dozen athletic department officials. On other allegations, he granted Lewis' lawyers 30 days to amend the complaint to rectify any legal deficiencies in their filing.

It was a day of legal wrangling as attorneys representing the slate of LSU administrators and attorneys listed as defendants in Lewis' wide-ranging complaint sought to have them removed from the case. Lewis' suit alleges racial discrimination, employee harassment and retaliatory actions after she reported Miles. Lewis was a recruiter who worked directly under Miles for the school's vaunted football program. Her filing alleges she had a nervous breakdown in 2013 because of Miles' harassment.

In one of his final cases, Kelley listened to a day chockful of arguments from the defense lawyers and Larry English, Lewis's Shreveport attorney. The defense lawyers argued that Lewis has no cause of action and tried to convince the judge her case has no legal merit against their respective clients. Several of them also said the five-year window for Lewis to file her claim had long expired, insisting that many of her allegations stem from acts that took place in 2013.

English began the day asking for a delay and argued that Kelley not rule on the motions because he's announced he plans to retire Jan. 2. The judge rejected that motion, saying he's presided over the 13-count lawsuit, has read the court records and was ready Monday to render orders on the series of unaddressed motions filed in the case.

The arguments grew explosive in the afternoon session when English introduced newly surfaced documents and suggested LSU officials conspired to cover-up Miles' behavior as lawyers worked behind the scenes to pay off at least one of his accusers. Lewis' legal team filed the documents, which English called a "smoking gun," into court records last week. He argued they show, among other things, that one of the former students who alleged Miles “jumped on her in a sexual fashion” asked the university to pay her $2.15 million to settle her case in 2013. It was not clear if Miles or the school paid the amount.

English argued that Miles laid the foundation for a pattern of abuse that continued all the way to 2021 when the documents were unsealed following a public records request from USA Today. He sought to show sufficient evidence for racketeering allegations to be heard by the court. Kelley ultimately dismissed that claim.

When Lewis reported the sexual harassment claims, alleged Title IX violations, to LSU in 2012, Miles was coming off an undefeated regular season and national championship appearance the year prior. English said attorneys and school officials downplayed Miles' actions and concealed a report outlining his harassment allegations, stashing it away in a law firm for eight years from 2013 to 2021. The school turning a blind eye put Miles in a position to retaliate against Lewis, her complaint alleges.

"These folks knew they were dealing with a monster, but he was a monster who could win football games," he told the judge. "These people sold their souls. They sacrificed these young girls.

"This is ugly and everyone wants to turn away," he later added. "They want you to turn away, your honor."

Peter Ginsberg, one of Miles' attorneys, denied any cover-up and told Kelley that English mischaracterized settlement negotiations with the former student as an illicit bribe to silence her. He also refuted claims that LSU officials investigating Miles were involved in the settlement.

"It is truly disturbing when I'm called a co-conspirator," Ginsberg said. "It's disturbing when Les Miles is called a predator … without any evidence."

Jimmy Faircloth, an attorney representing three of the LSU Board of Supervisors members who participated in settlement negotiations, said it was a series of bad decisions about a problematic employee, but it did not rise to the level of a RICO violation. He urged Kelley to "shut it down," saying the plaintiff's allegations were approaching defamatory territory. 

"They have made a lot of allegations and called people a lot of nasty names," Faircloth said. 

Arguments are expected to continue at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the 19th JDC Courthouse at 300 North Blvd. in downtown Baton Rouge.