Yahoo Sports Suit dismissed against Mike MacIntyre, other Colorado officials regarding alleged abuse by ex-assistant
Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre, along with three other Colorado officials, is no longer named in a suit filed by the woman who accused former defensive assistant Joe Tumpkin of abusing her.
The woman, Pamela Fine, had filed the suit alleging that Colorado didn’t respond appropriately to abuse allegations against Tumpkin. Fine said Tumpkin had abused her multiple times and Tumpkin was charged with felony assault in January of 2017.
Her suit was filed in September. According to U.S. District Judge William Martinez in the case, the motion was granted to dismiss MacIntyre and the other Colorado officials from the case this week because the university’s rules weren’t designed to protect Fine because she was not a university employee.
From the Boulder Daily Camera:
“Defendants’ alleged failure to follow the university’s rules and policies did not increase the risk of harm to (Fine) given that, as someone with no affiliation with or connection to the university, she was not within the group of individuals that the policies were designed to protect,” Martinez wrote in the ruling, which was issued Wednesday.
A suit still stands against Tumpkin.
Tumpkin resigned after the 2016 season
Tumpkin, Colorado’s former defensive backs coach, tendered his resignation from the school days before the charges against him were filed. He was suspended before his resignation after the accusations surfaced and resigned following a temporary restraining order granted against him.
Fine said Tumpkin first abused her in 2015 and choked her the night before Colorado’s game against Washington State in 2016 and also after the game. Tumpkin was promoted to interim defensive coordinator in December 2016 and served as Colorado’s primary defensive play-caller in the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State, his final game with the school.
A trial is still yet to occur regarding the charges against him.
Colorado admitted officials acted improperly
MacIntyre released a statement in February 2017 confirming that he had been informed of the allegations against Tumpkin and said that he had reported the accusations to Colorado administrators.
Colorado athletic director Rick George, also one of the officials dismissed in the suit, said at the same time that he could have handled the situation better.
An independent investigation released last summer confirmed that Colorado didn’t act appropriately when it came to Fine’s allegations. Chancellor Phil DiStefano was suspended for 10 days and George and MacIntyre were each ordered to make six-figure donations to domestic violence charities.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
More from Yahoo Sports:
• Why trade to San Antonio stings DeMar DeRozan so much
• Titans DT plans to protest anthem: ‘I’m going to take my fine’
• WWE’s ‘New Day’ releases powerful response to Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement
• Larry Nassar survivors receive Arthur Ashe Courage Award at ESPYs
