Scott K. Ginsburg, a Dallas businessman, has brought suit against Georgetown University “for breach of contract, fraud, and fraud in the inducement” and is seeking $7.5 million in damages because the school failed to name the law school gym after himself. Ginsburg apparently agreed to make this donation in exchange for the school naming the gym after him. Ginsburg claims that Georgetown had originally planned to honor their agreement. In 2000, he argued the university formally announced the construction of the Scott K. Ginsburg Health and Fitness Center. However, after the SEC brought a suit against him the university began to waiver on its end of the agreement. Ginsburg asserted in his complaint that he was candid with the university about the issues that were involved in the lawsuit. It also stated that Georgetown did not express any concern about the lawsuit with the SEC. The school did ask him once to relinquish his naming rights but he refused. After this meeting, Georgetown told Ginsburg that they would honor the original contract. In other aspects, the university has always treated Ginsburg as an honored guest.
Now, a decade has passed from the creation of the original contract and the school has not honored its agreement. Thus, Ginsburg is also seeking specific performance. The complaint further states that “[i]t is now apparent that since 2002, Georgetown not only was not in fact committed to recognizing Ginsburg’s generosity by naming the sports center for him, but each of the foregoing oral and written representations to him about its claimed commitment was false, made only to entice him to give Georgetown more money.” In case here is Ginsburg v. Georgetown University.
See David Lee, Donor Sues Georgetown For $7.5 Million, Courthouse News Service, Mar. 6, 2013.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
