BSU President Marlene Tromp, BSU, and Others Face Another Lawsuit
By Greg Pruett • April 23, 2025Boise State University President Marlene Tromp, BSU, Argia Beristain, and David Johnston are all facing a whistleblower lawsuit by a former employee named Lisa Gardener.
What’s Happening: Big City Coffee owner Sarah Fendley is fresh off a massive lawsuit victory against Tromp and the university. BSU is still fighting the millions awarded to Fendley, which shocked many conservatives who expected the liberal court system to side with the prominent lawyers that BSU brought in the case.
The new case was filed in Ada County on April 17, and the court has summoned all the parties involved.
Digging Deeper: In several messages sent to Idaho Dispatch, the employee says that they were passed up for promotions. The messages appear to be wording from the lawsuit itself. It says, in particular,
“Employment and retaliation. While working as executive director, plaintiff raised concerns about older employees being passed over for promotions in favor of younger women and reported a senior officer’s relationship with a subordinate who had been promoted. Defendants then fired her.”
Idaho Ed News, which broke the story several days ago, says Gardener is seeking millions in damages.
Idaho Dispatch will release more information about the case as we obtain it.
Tags: Big City Coffee, Boise State University, BSU, Lawsuit, Marlene Tromp, Sarah Fendley