A longtime cheer coach and athletics administrator sued Fayetteville State University, alleging she was fired based on a botched investigation of false complaints from disgruntled former cheerleaders.
The federal lawsuit, filed December 23 by LaWanda Miller, also alleged that FSU reneged on its agreement to scrub her personnel record as part of a mediated settlement and accused the school of breach of contract. The lawsuit alleged the school violated federal law by discriminating against her based on gender, age, and sex.
Miller claimed she suffered damages including loss of income, loss of benefits, reputational harm, loss of professional standing, diminished career opportunities, and emotional distress.
Before responding to the allegations, FSU called the suit legally defective and asked a judge to throw it out.
The dispute centers on a March 2024 investigation launched after FSU received a complaint alleging that two students told Miller in 2022 that a cheer team member had been raped—and that Miller failed to report it, as she is legally obligated to do.
Additional allegations accused her of racial discrimination by claiming she prohibited Black students from wearing natural textured hair, made gender‑based comments about students’ breasts, and favored some team members over others.
Miller denied the allegations. In the lawsuit, she said she never received the report of sexual assault and would have taken “immediate action” if she had. The other allegations were “wholly false, unfounded, and inconsistent” with her decades‑long record of professionalism and advocacy for women’s athletics, according to the lawsuit.
Her lawsuit claimed the school’s investigation was procedurally flawed. She said it was conducted by an inexperienced investigator who lost notes, failed to gather key evidence, and did not interview relevant witnesses. Miller said she was not told the nature of the allegations until a pre‑disciplinary meeting and was barred from presenting witnesses or reviewing the evidence against her. She said that violated FSU’s own policies and denied her “any semblance of due process.”
FSU terminated her on August 15, 2024, citing misconduct and violations of Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. According to the lawsuit, her university email was immediately deactivated, cutting her off from professional contacts and national organizations where she held leadership roles.
Miller’s attorney, Taylor Rosbrook, told CityView that “the complaint speaks for itself” and declined to discuss the lawsuit.
Miller’s lawsuit outlines a 30‑year career at the university, where she joined the staff in 1994 and became head cheerleading coach in 1998. Over the years she served in key administrative roles, including Assistant Athletics Director for Business, Senior Woman Administrator, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator at the time of her firing.
Her peers recognized her as a leader in collegiate athletics. She was named CIAA Senior Woman Administrator of the Year in 2018 and 2019, and in 2023 the conference honored her as one of five “HBCU Administrator Title IX Trailblazers.” In May 2024, just months before her termination, she received the CIAA Jeanette Lee Athletic Administrator of the Year award.
She also held national roles, including president of the CIAA Cheer Coaches Association and membership on the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics.
FSU Wants Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit
The lawsuit alleged that male colleagues in the athletics department received more favorable treatment when facing similar or more serious allegations, though the suit does not include supporting documentation. Miller alleged that the school replaced her with a younger, less‑qualified employee.
Beyond the discrimination claims, Miller accused FSU of breaching an agreement reached during mediation in November 2024. Under that agreement, she agreed to withdraw her grievance and waive her right to sue if the university removed all information related to the misconduct investigation from her personnel file, provided positive references, and supported her retirement benefits application.
Miller said in that lawsuit that FSU did not follow through. Instead, she alleged the university told the state Division of Employment Security that she was terminated for misconduct.,That led the agency to deny her unemployment benefits, according to the lawsuit,a decision later reversed at a March 2025 appeals hearing.
Miller filed the lawsuit in Cumberland County court in October 2025, but both sides agreed to move it to federal court in December. FSU has not yet filed an answer to the suit.
Instead, the school filed a motion to dismiss on January 29, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction because of problems with how the lawsuit was initially served. The school also claimed Miller waived her right to sue when she signed the mediation agreement, and that several of her discrimination claims are untimely or legally barred by sovereign immunity. That legal doctrine says governments cannot be sued without their consent.
FSU and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, which is representing the university, told CityView they don’t comment on pending litigation.
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com or 910-988-8045.
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