Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, John Vomhof Jr.
Court Upholds $1 Million Judgement Against U Of Minnesota, Tubby Smith
October 18, 2011 /
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld a $1 million judgment against the University of Minnesota and men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith in a lawsuit filed by a prospective assistant coach, the Star Tribune reports.
In May 2010, a Hennepin County jury found that Smith had mispresented his authority when he offered Jimmy Williams a job on his staff in 2007.
Williams , who resigned his assistant coaching job at Oklahoma State to take the Minnesota job, sued after Gophers Athletic Director Joel Maturi quashed the deal, citing NCAA rules violations that occured during Williams’ previous stint as a Gophers assistant.
The jury originally awarded Williams $1.25 million, but the presiding judge reduced the amount to $1 million due to a state law that caps court awards against the state.
The appeals court rejected Williams’ claim that the judge had abused her discretion.
