Related Articles Stanford responds to former coach Johnny Dawkins’ multi-million dollar lawsuit Former Stanford basketball coach Johnny Dawkins has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the university and is seeking in excess of $7 million in damages stemming from his dismissal last year.

Dawkins is owed approximately $2.3 million in direct damages and is seeking “punitive and exemplary damages of not less than $5 million for the tortious ingredients of its wrongdoing,” according to the complaint filed Monday in Santa Clara Superior Court.

Dawkins was fired without cause in March 2016 after failing to reach the NCAA tournament for the seventh time in eight seasons. (His record at Stanford: 156-115.) Soon after, he was named head coach at Central Florida.

The mitigation clause in his Stanford contract — what the school would owe Dawkins (after termination) if he was hired elsewhere — is at the heart of his complaint.

According to court documents, Dawkins agreed to release any claims (financial or otherwise) against Stanford upon his dismissal. In exchange, the university agreed to pay him $2.3 million and drop the mitigation provision in his contract — future earning would not be used to offset his lump-sum payment from Stanford.

Subsequently, the document states, Stanford reversed course and said it was entitled to withhold future earnings (i.e., Dawkins’ compensation from UCF) from the amount owed to him.

Stanford has not paid Dawkins any portion of the $2.3 million, according to the complaint.

Dawkins’ attorney, Allen Ruby, who used to represent Barry Bonds, did not respond to a request for comment.

Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir was not immediately available for comment.