USA Powerlifting and JayCee Cooper have quietly called a truce in the discrimination fight that has hung over Minnesota powerlifting for years. The deal, announced Tuesday, ends a five-year legal saga that began when Cooper was barred from the federation’s women’s division. The parties are keeping the full terms to themselves, but the settlement lands in the shadow of an Oct. 22, 2025 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that found parts of USA Powerlifting’s policy discriminatory under state law.
USA Powerlifting revealed the settlement on Tuesday, according to Fox 9. Local legal coverage reported that the agreement includes a financial payment, although the exact amount and conditions remain under wraps. Minnesota Lawyer added that the organization says it will reevaluate how it operates in Minnesota while continuing to run events in other states.
Years-Long Legal Fight
Cooper first tried to enter USA Powerlifting women’s meets in 2018, and when that effort hit a wall, she filed a discrimination lawsuit in January 2021. On Oct. 22, 2025, the Minnesota Supreme Court concluded that USA Powerlifting’s categorical exclusion of transgender women was “facially discriminatory” under the Minnesota Human Rights Act but left open a separate question about whether the ban might still be justified as a legitimate business necessity, as reported by AP News. Gender Justice, which represented Cooper, has published timelines, filings and background materials on the case.
What the Parties Said
Cooper’s lawyers treated the settlement as confirmation that state law is on their side. “It is illegal to discriminate against transgender athletes in Minnesota, full stop,” Jess Braverman of Gender Justice said, according to Minnesota Lawyer.
USA Powerlifting, for its part, agreed to settle but did not back away from its broader stance on sex-based categories. Former USAPL president Larry Maile said, “We continue to believe strongly in the merits of our case, which are supported by global competition standards and bipartisan public sentiment,” according to OutKick.
What’s Next
USA Powerlifting has not yet said exactly how it plans to operate in Minnesota going forward and will review its options, according to Fox 9. The timing is no accident. The settlement arrives as international sports bodies are tightening rules on transgender eligibility. In March, the International Olympic Committee rolled out a new screening policy for athletes in the women’s category, a shift that observers say will help shape how national federations respond. Reporting on that policy is available from BBC.
Legal Implications
On paper, the deal closes this particular fight, but it leaves some of the bigger legal questions hanging. The Minnesota Supreme Court had kicked a factual dispute to the lower courts over whether USA Powerlifting’s exclusion could be defended as a “legitimate business purpose,” and the settlement avoids that trial altogether, according to AP News. Cooper was represented by Gender Justice, Nichols Kaster and Premo Frank, and that legal team has framed the outcome as a clear win for Minnesota’s anti-discrimination protections, per Gender Justice.
For athletes in Minneapolis and across Minnesota, the settlement wraps up a closely watched test of the state’s human-rights laws and is likely to influence how other federations weigh inclusion and competitive fairness. With international organizations moving toward stricter sex-based eligibility checks, advocates on all sides are signaling that the bigger battles over sport, safety and fairness are still very much ahead.
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