The day Diane Milutinovich lost her job, she was locked out of her office and escorted away in an embarrassing public display, according to her lawsuit against California State University, Fresno, and several of its top administrators.

The former associate athletic director accuses the school of intentional and negligent emotional distress.

Milutinovich was told on April 16, 2002, that her position was eliminated. She was forced to hand over her employee identification and keys to the building where she worked. Those demands unfairly portrayed Milutinovich as a bad employee and caused her extreme emotional distress, she said in the lawsuit filed last week in Fresno County Superior Court.

Milutinovich was one of the top female administrators in the university's athletic department before she was reassigned to a job in the student union. Milutinovich said she was forced from the athletic department because of her role in a gender-equity and Title IX inquiry.

The university issued a statement Tuesday, saying Milutinovich was reassigned to save the athletic department money. University representatives would not say who wrote the school's response. "The lawsuit makes many assertions that are not true," according to the statement. "Milutinovich was reassigned from one management position to another management position at the same salary. That reassignment was part of an overall effort to reduce administrative costs in the athletic department.

"Management employees serve at the will of the president of the university and can be reassigned as needed."

In addition to suing the school's board of trustees and the California State University Fresno Athletic Corp., Milutinovich is suing university President John Welty, athletic director Scott Johnson and human resources director Jeannine Raymond.

A representative from the Fresno law firm of Emerson, Corey & Barsotti said Tuesday that Milutinovich's lawyer, Rayma Church, would not comment on the case.

Court documents do not detail how much money Milutinovich is seeking, only that the amount exceeds $25,000. A court date, when the case will be reviewed, is scheduled for Aug. 16.

The civil suit is the latest in Milutinovich's long-running battle with Fresno State.

In 2002, Johnson announced Milutinovich's old position would be eliminated as part of a sweeping department reduction that saved $200,000 from the 2001-02 budget. Business manager Les Snyder was forced into resignation, and academic chief Bob Knudsen retired without a replacement.

Milutinovich has said her "termination" as associate athletic director was payback for her role in the two-year federal investigation that found Fresno State far short of gender-equity compliance in 1994.

Milutinovich assisted in the Title IX-driven investigation that led to Fresno State's $7 million corrective action plan and its attempts to level the field for women's sports.

After losing her position in the athletic department, she was assigned to a job as director of the University Student Union, where she still works, according to university spokeswoman Shirley Armbruster. Milutinovich retained her near-$90,000 annual salary.

She filed discrimination and retaliation claims with the state Department of Fair Employment & Housing, but "that agency found no discrimination or retaliation," according to the university statement.

Milutinovich also filed documents in Fresno County court asking that electronic messages and other items taken from her old office be preserved in anticipation of a future lawsuit against Fresno State.

According to court documents filed by Milutinovich and her lawyer in 2002, they anticipated suing for unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

School officials cannot talk specifically about current lawsuits, according to the statement, which ended: "We will be prepared to make the university's case in this matter in court."