Milligan-Jensen vs. Michigan Technological University Collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MTU-108

Staff Only

Collection Scope and Content Summary

Collection, 1990-1993, of the Patricia Milligan-Jensen lawsuit against Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. Milligan-Jensen claimed sex discrimination and retaliation which resulted in her termination as a public safety officer at Michigan Technological University. Initially Milligan-Jensen's lawsuit was successful; however, it was overturned on appeal due to a technicality. Includes correspondence by both sides of the dispute, depositions, court judgments, and clippings.

Dates

1990-1993

Access

Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Biography

Patricia Milligan-Jensen was dismissed from employment as a public safety office at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan in 1988. She subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging sex discrimination and retaliation, age discrimination. In March, 1991, the sex discrimination and retaliation claims were tried in court without a jury. The decision of the court was to limit damages to Milligan-Jensen: it was found that she was wronged but that the court would not fully reward a plaintiff found to have falsified her employment application. Michigan Technological University appealed the decision and it was overturned on a technicality by the U. S. Court of Appeals which declined to rule on the merits of the case. The case was appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court but it does not appear that the Supreme Court elected to hear the case.