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Former Oregon high school athletes Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard have reached a settlement with the state’s high school sports league, the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), in a lawsuit alleging free speech violations.
Anderson and Eckard walked off the medal podium at a state championship on the last day of May to protest a transgender competitor, claiming they were forced off the podium photo and not given their medals in response.
“I asked after the medal ceremony was over, we went into this sort of tunnel that takes you back to the audience, and I asked one of the officials, ‘Hey, are we going to get our medals?’ and she said they would send them to our school. And then they were never sent to our school,” Anderson previously told Pak Gazette Digital.
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The two teens filed a free speech lawsuit against the OSAA in July and claim their medals were sent to their law firm, America First Policy Institute (AFPI).
Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Youlee Yim You denied OSAA’s motion to dismiss a portion of the lawsuit that highlighted what forms of political speech the league allows, including Black Lives Matter and pro-LGBTQ pride messages, which was a key point in the plaintiffs’ argument.
On Tuesday, his AFPI lawyers agreed with OSAA to dismiss the lawsuit by agreement of the parties. A separate lawsuit between the two parties over Title IX violations is still ongoing.
“Plaintiffs’ counsel Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard certify that they have consulted in good faith by telephone with Defendant OSAA’s counsel regarding this motion to dismiss. Defendant’s counsel has stated that Defendant does not oppose this motion,” reads a court document obtained by Pak Gazette Digital.
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AFPI Litigation Director Andrew Zimmitti said the case accomplished what it set out to do: raise awareness about the treatment of Anderson, Eckard and other students in Oregon who express similar views.
“This case did exactly what it needed to do,” Zimmitti said in a statement to Pak Gazette Digital. “We protected these young women, exposed how officials retaliated against them for speaking the truth, and elevated their story to a national audience. Now we continue the real fight: restoring Title IX and defending women’s sports across America.”
Anderson said: “We spoke out because what was happening was not fair. AFPI was with us from day one, made sure our story was heard, helped bring attention to this issue and continues to help us fight for protection in women’s sports. I am grateful to everyone who supported us.”
Eckard added: “Being able to stand up and say, ‘I don’t approve of this’ is a basic right that everyone learns in school. It was appalling that a real school event tried to silence us.”
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Anderson and Eckard were honored at the 2025 Fox Nation Patriot Awards for their protest and lawsuit, where they received the Most Valuable Patriot Award and their state championship medals.
“It’s definitely frustrating that we haven’t gotten them right now… but it is what it is right now. There are more important things we’re working on.” fighting for” Anderson said earlier. “Of course I wanted that medal, I worked really hard to get to that place where I was on the podium… but also a part of me knew that it was part of the sacrifice I was making when I stepped off that podium, and that there would be consequences.”
