JayCee Cooper v. USA Powerlifting, USA Powerlifting Minnesota, on Related Appeal ...

Summary

The court held that USA Powerlifting’s categorical exclusion of transgender women from women’s competitions was facial discrimination and direct evidence that Cooper’s transgender status motivated the exclusion under the Minnesota Human Rights Act. The court nevertheless held that a genuine factual dispute remained over whether the organization could establish the statute’s legitimate-business-purpose defense to business-discrimination claims, while no such defense was asserted for the public-accommodation claim. The court declined to overrule its prior employment-related precedent, limiting it to employment claims, and remanded for further proceedings.