Spectrum - Volume 17 Issue 17 January 26, 1995 - Tech, VCU file lawsuit against Metro Conference

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Tech, VCU file lawsuit against Metro Conference

Spectrum Volume 17 Issue 17 - January 26, 1995

Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech have filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Richmond seeking a temporary injunction against the proposed realignment of the Metro Conference.

The lawsuit also aims to prevent the establishment of a new conference affiliation and seeks enforcement of VCU's and Virginia Tech's rights under the existing Metro Conference Constitution.

President Paul Torgersen was notified of the tentative plans to reorganize the Metro Conference and expel VCU and Tech in a copy of a letter sent to VCU President Eugene Trani on January 13.

The lawsuit accuses the Metro Conference schools of breach of contract by violating the rules of its constitution. By seeking to form a new conference, the five Metro schools have effectively withdrawn from the Metro Conference and thus owe the conference a $500,000 penalty fee per school and have lost their voting rights. The suit also accuses the other schools interested in forming the new conference with interference with the Metro Conference contract.

The Metro universities are Louisville, Tulane, North Carolina at Charlotte, South Florida, and Southern Mississippi. Universities seeking to create the new conference are Cincinnati, Memphis, DePaul, Marquette, St. Louis, and Alabama-Birmingham.

The Richmond Times Dispatch reported that a hearing on a temporary injunction is scheduled for today, January 26.