In the August 7, 2023, article “UGA Recruiting Staffer Who Survived Fatal Crash Fired by University; Lawyers Claim retaliation Over Lawsuit Managing Partner Gary Freed, who is not involved in the lawsuit, commented on Georgia Employment Law.

Gary noted that Georgia is an “at will” employment state so an employee can be hired or fired for any reason if the action is not discriminatory. Gary added, “Insubordination is a very valid reason to terminate an employee when they refuse a valid request from an employer.” The athletic association told 11Alive it acted because Bowles “repeatedly refused to cooperate” with the crash investigation. The association added that its policies require employees to cooperate with any such investigation. The former employee claims she was terminated as retaliation because of her legal action against the school and its athletic association.

“It’s a sad situation for her, for the people who died in the car, for the university that had just won a national championship,” Gary said.