Shannon Miller Awarded $3.74 Million in Discrimination Lawsuit Against UMD

Former UMD Women's Hockey Coach Declares Her Win a Victory for Women

DULUTH, Minn. – Victory for former UMD Women’s Hockey Coach Shannon Miller.

She has won her federal case after she claimed in a lawsuit that her contract with the school was not renewed back in 2015 due to her gender and because she made complaints about equal treatment.

After deliberating for about four hours, the jury awarded Miller about $3.7 million for loss of salary and benefits and emotional distress.

Shannon Miller walked down the steps of the Federal Courthouse Thursday and declared victory for women.

“When you get a verdict like that, you know that justice has taken the right course and it’s a big day really for women, for women period, but especially for women in college athletics,” said Miller.

Though this was a good day for her, Miller will not soon get over her termination as UMD women’s hockey coach.

“My heart is still very broken,” said Miller. “It is shattered into many pieces and it will probably take close to my lifetime for it to heal.”

UMD Chancellor Lendley Black was surprised and disappointed with the jury’s decision.

“I will certainly take time to rethink the process and things we did but I can tell you I stand firm on the decision that was made,” said Black.

He stands behind Athletic Director Josh Berlo and says the University will take steps to become more inclusive.

“I will also continue to take action to see that we further the growth of the climate at UMD so that everyone on campus feels respected and they feel welcome and they feel safe,” said Black.

UMD officials said the Shannon Miller legal process may not be over, but they stopped short of saying they will appeal.

After she was awarded more than $3.7 million on Thursday, Miller is now focused on applying for hockey coaching jobs across the country.

“I’ve continued to reach out to NHL hockey teams,” said Miller. “I would love to be the first female hockey coach in the NHL, I’ll continue to follow that path. I’ve applied for men’s hockey jobs. There’s lots of men coaching in women’s athletics, I absolutely see no reason why women can’t coach in men’s athletics.”

She believes her victory in this lawsuit could affect University Athletic Departments nationwide.

“I hope other athletic directors are watching and can learn from this and I hope female coaches are watching and are ready to step up and fight for themselves a little harder than maybe they were before,” said Miller.

After winning the federal trial, Miller said she and two other former UMD coaches have an upcoming state discrimination lawsuit against the University.