HONOLULU -- A federal judge ruled Friday afternoon Maui County and the state Department of Education are in violation of Title IX.

The law that mandates equal opportunities for boys and girls.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of three Baldwin softball players, their parents and coach asked Judge David Ezra to provide the team with a safe and level playing field.

The suit alleges the girls are forced to practice and play on a field that is unsafe, is not regulation size and is a mile away from campus.

“The field is rocky. It’s holey, it’s unsafe and ultimately puts them at a competitive disadvantage,” said Laurie Temple, of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii.

The suit claimed the girls are playing on a field far inferior to the 1500-seat Iron Maehara Stadium where the Baldwin high school boys' baseball team plays.

“We strongly deny that the girls at Baldwin are treated unfairly or in any discriminatory fashion,” said Jane Lovell, Maui County’s attorney.

Maui county's attorney says she was surprised by the lawsuit, since it is the county's position the field is in excellent condition and the responsibility to provide level playing fields does not lie with the county.

“The important thing to understand is that theses are county parks and whatever the girls issues are with the school or Department of Education are not things that the county can easily rectify,” said Lovell.

Federal Judge David Ezra called the softball facilities inadequate and failed to compare to the boy's playing field, a clear violation of Title IX

Ezra said the facts are indisputable.

Ezra ordered an expert to study the team's current playing field and a field closer to the school recently closed for repairs.

He will use the information to decide which field the girls will play on.

The Department of Education plans to build a new Baldwin girl’s softball facility that will be ready in 2012.