More Women Join Gender-Discrimination Suit Against UM

Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio

Josh Burnham

Eighteen more women have joined a lawsuit alleging that the University of Montana and officials at the school discriminated against female employees. Petitioners last week asked a federal judge in Missoula to certify the complaint as a class action lawsuit.

The Montana University System and UM are listed as defendants in the suit.

UM spokesperson Dave Kuntz says the university believes the suit isn’t eligible for class action and it stands by its original statement that “these claims are baseless and without merit.”

In early August a group of women accused the university and its president Seth Bodnar of unequal treatment when compared to their male counterparts, and fostering what they called a “good ol’ boys club.”

One of the plaintiffs worked as a music host for Montana Public Radio and another oversaw the Broadcast Media Center, which includes MTPR, as an administrator at the University of Montana.

Copyright 2021 Montana Public Radio. To see more, visit Montana Public Radio.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Freddy Monares
Freddy Monares is a reporter and Morning Edition host at Montana Public Radio. He previously worked for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, covered the 2017 Legislature for UM Legislative News Service and interned with the station as a student. He graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in 2017.