LaWanda Miller is Fayetteville State University’s former cheerleading coach. Recently, Miller filed a federal lawsuit suing the university for breach of contract and discrimination, and she claimed she suffered loss of income, reputational harm and loss of future opportunities as a result of the university’s actions.
According to CityView, Miller’s termination stemmed from a 2024 investigation that was prompted by two student-athletes alleging a team member had been sexually assaulted, but Miller did not report the assault, as she was legally obligated to do.
On top of that serious accusation, student-athletes also alleged Miller discriminated against Black members of the team, barring them from styling their natural, textured hair. Student-athletes said Miller made negative comments about their bodies and clearly favored some members of the team over others.
In her lawsuit, Miller argues that “the school’s investigation was procedurally flawed (…) conducted by an inexperienced investigator who lost notes, failed to gather key evidence, and did not interview relevant witnesses.”
Fayetteville State University lawyers argued that Miller’s suit was “legally defective” and asked for it to be thrown out on Jan. 29 because of a previous agreement negotiated between Miller and the university that waived her right to sue.
By Miller’s account, Fayetteville State University did not uphold its end of that previous agreement. Miller had asked for her personnel file to be scrubbed of the investigation, her retirement benefits to be supported and for positive professional references in the future. She claimed the university instead made it public that she was terminated for misconduct and denied her benefits.
The court has not yet ruled on whether it will throw out Miller’s lawsuit or move forward with proceedings.
In her 30-year career with Fayetteville State University, miller was named CIAA Senior Woman Administrator of the Year, CIAA Jeanette Lee Athletic Administrator of the Year and HBCU Administrator Title IX Trailblazers. She served on the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics and as president of the CIAA Cheer Coaches Association.
