Brinkman v. Miami University

Brinkman v. Miami University was a lawsuit filed by Ohio State Representative Tom Brinkman Jr. on November 22, 2005 against Miami University. Brinkman claimed Miami's same-sex partnership policy was in violation of Ohio's constitutional ban on civil unions.

The lawsuit was filed in the Butler County Court of Common Pleas. Brinkman has gone on the record, stating that Miami University "has created and recognized a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance or effect of marriage."

Miami began offering benefits, including health and dental insurance, ticket discounts and tuition remission to same-sex domestic partners of faculty and staff members in July 2004. In November 2004, Ohio voters passed the state Marriage Amendment, which states "only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this state and its political subdivisions."

David Langdon, a conservative activist who wrote language for the Marriage Amendment, has stated that this is the first suit against a university's domestic partnership policy since the amendment took effect. Ohio State University, Cleveland State University, Youngstown State University and several other Ohio universities also offer domestic partner benefits but are not named in the suit.