DULUTH, Minn. — A federal jury has awarded nearly $3.75 million to a former women’s hockey coach who sued the University of Minnesota Duluth for alleged discrimination and retaliation.
The jury on Thursday awarded Shannon Miller more than $744,000 for lost wages and benefits and $3 million for emotional distress.
Judge Patrick Schiltz will decide future wage and benefit damages.
WDIO-TV reports jurors deliberated for just over four hours before reaching their verdict.
UMD declined to renew Miller’s contract in late 2014 after she had been in the job for 16 seasons. Her teams won five national championships, but had failed to qualify for the postseason during her final four seasons.
UMD’s attorney emphasized a decline in the team’s performance. Miller’s attorney pointed to the school’s shifting public explanation for the nonrenewal of her contract.