Conflict Over Joe Paterno’s Statue

Eddie Lauth, a local businessman who donated a large amount of money to create the Joe Paterno statue, petitioned a Centre County Judge to grant an injunction against Penn State University. Lauth wanted the judge to stop the university from removing Joe Paterno’s statue. The judge denied the request but scheduled a hearing to resolve the matter. This all became irrelevant because the university took it upon themselves to remove the statue of Joe Paterno on July 22, 2012. 

However, the actions by the school have not stopped Lauth, who now plans to speak with the school about what they plan to do with the statue. Previously, the President of the University stated that the decision to remove the statue would come after 7 to 10 days. However, the school unexpectedly removed the statue only 5 days after the settling the tentative deadline. The statute still continues to be a source of conflict and controversy for the university.

See Mike Dawson, Joe Paterno Statue Donor Had Asked a Judge to Stop Penn State From Removing It, Centre Daily Times, July 23, 2012.

Special Thanks to Alfred Brophy (Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina) for bringing this article to my attention.