Harris v. Portland update:

Jen Harris has filed her response to the defendants' motions to dismiss. No word yet on when the judge will issue his ruling on the motions.

In accordance with the usual procedure, the court will refer the case to a mediator to see if the parties can reach a solution and avoid trial. It appears that the parties had some dispute about whether there would be any discovery prior to mediation. In a March 2 order, the court said it would allow "limited discovery" until May 1, and that the case would be sent to mediation at that time.

The court also issued a case management order which set a trial date of May 7, 2007. The chances that trial will actually begin on that date are small, but it does give a sense of how long this process could take.

One other recent filing listed some possible witnesses for both sides. Harris's list included former players Amber Bland, Lisa Etienne, Rochelle Johnson, and Burcu Turan, as well as several staff members and coaches. The defendants' lists included Jess Brungo, Kelly Mazzante, Jess Strom, Tanisha Wright, and perhaps most surprisingly, Reicina Russell.