A breach of contract claim is a lawsuit that says one party failed to deliver what a written agreement promised. Former Kappa Kappa Gamma members brought exactly that claim to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Monday, asking three judges to revive a lawsuit the sorority's national organization had previously gotten dismissed. The alumnae argue that Kappa Kappa Gamma's leadership changed what the word "woman" means in the organization's membership rules without holding a formal member vote or amending its bylaws.
The dispute traces to 2022, when Artemis Langford, a transgender student, was admitted to the University of Wyoming chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Plaintiff Allie Coghan said the chapter's standard voting process was not used. Instead of the chapter's traditional recruitment app, members were required to submit votes through non-anonymous Google Forms linked to their personal email addresses. Chapter officers then went door to door to confirm that members had voted. Coghan said officers warned members they could be labeled "transphobic" if they voted against Langford's admission.
Attempts to reach the national leadership went nowhere. Coghan said phone calls were not returned, and emails eventually stopped receiving replies.
What the lower court decided
U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson dismissed the original lawsuit, ruling that Kappa Kappa Gamma, as a private organization, had the legal authority to interpret its own membership requirements. The alumnae, backed by the Independent Women's Law Center, then appealed. Coghan put the plaintiffs' core objection plainly: "If Kappa wants to redefine the word woman to include men in the definition, that's fine, but they have to go through the proper procedures to do so and allow members to vote, which they did not."
Co-plaintiff Hannah Holtmeier said the chapter president told dissatisfied members they were welcome to leave if their values did not align with Kappa's. Both Holtmeier and Coghan described members informally coordinating to manage privacy near shared showers after Langford was granted 24/7 access to the house's living quarters and common areas. Langford did not live in the house.
Coghan has since graduated and, by her own account, recently married. She said she remained in the case because she believes the 10th Circuit's ruling could establish a legal standard governing how single-sex private organizations handle membership decisions. The three-judge panel's ruling will determine whether the breach of contract lawsuit is allowed to proceed. Fox News Digital contacted Kappa Kappa Gamma for comment and received no immediate response.