Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to SJSU seeking emails related to an investigation of those allegations, but the request was denied."SJSU has conducted a reasonable search for these records under California Government Code §7922.535 and has determined the requested records are not disclosable under the Public Records Act," SJSU attorney Laurette Hanna wrote in a response to Fox News Digital, citing privacy exemptions and attorney-client privilege. The university's refusal to fulfill a request for the documents comes after Fox News Digital reported last Tuesday on a letter containing allegations against Kress from one of his former players at Fairfield University in 1998, that was sent to SJSU on Oct.24, 2024, while the volleyball team was embroiled in a season overshadowed by national controversy over the presence of a trans athlete on the team.The letter's contents included the allegations that Kress "forcibly threw me on the bed" then "pulled his pants down and put his back side in my face," and then "picked me up, and threw me into the bathtub where he held me down and threatened to turn on the shower with me laying there."SJSU WAS TOLD OF DECADES-OLD ALLEGATIONS AGAINST VOLLEYBALL COACH DURING CONTROVERSIAL 2024 SEASONCOLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO - OCTOBER 19: Head coach Todd Kress of the San Jose State Spartans looks on during the second set against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Court at East Gym on October 19, 2024 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
(Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images) (Getty Images)"First, the request seeks documents exempt under attorney-client privilege.Additionally, the requested communications implicate substantial privacy interests.
Disclosure of these records would therefore constitute an invasion of privacy that outweighs the public interest in disclosure.Specifically, these records are being withheld subject to the following exemptions," the response added."Attorney-Client Privilege.
Records subject to the attorn...