Fresno, Calif. ? Although a lawsuit could be a long way off, Diane Milutinovich’s battle with Fresno State has reached civil court.

The former associate athletic director filed documents in Fresno County Superior Court last week asking that electronic messages and other items taken from her old office be preserved in case the material becomes evidence in a future lawsuit against the school.

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 in August. Milutinovich said she was forced from the athletic department in April because of her role in gender equity and a Title IX probe.

Milutinovich filed “discrimination and retaliation claims” this month with the state Department of Fair Employment & Housing.

Milutinovich hopes the state investigation will lead to her return as associate athletic director, said Rayma Church, her lawyer. Milutinovich has been working since August as the University Student Union director while retaining her near-$90,000 annual salary.

In April, athletic director Scott 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.

Milutinovich played an integral role in a Title IX-driven probe that led to Fresno State’s $7 million Corrective Action Plan and its attempts to level the field for female sports.

Milutinovich said her “termination” as associate athletic director was payback.

Kansas University athletic director Al Bohl was Fresno State’s AD from 1996-2001.