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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2003)
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Beverly Yarbrough Broker Accredited Buyers Representative Cell: (541) 520-4906 Office: (541) 485-1400 § www.RealEstateByBev.com bevyarbrough@pppofegon.com j iaipj EUGENE mm-* -«*> • • Jnmf/a£m HARDWARE ,1, i 1 I ■git - - m W, I m * • Hardware • Electrical • Plumbing • Paint • Housewares • Lawn & Garden • TooZs 342-5191 2825 Willamette Eugene, Oregon We've got sp at www.dailyemerald.com Miami fights back against Big East The Hurricanes' jump to the ACC from the Big East Conference has brought out lawsuits against schools By Susan Miller Degnan Knight Rtdder Newspapers (KRT) CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The im pending divorce just got uglier. After months of being called con spirators in "a deliberate scheme... to destroy the Big East * the University of Miami struck back Monday in Miami Dade County Circuit Court. The LIniversity of Miami filed suit against the Big East Conference, Uni versity of Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and West Virginia, alleging breach of contract and a conspiracy to defraud on the part of the conference and individual schools. Miami also sued the University of Connecticut for defamation. "Enough of all these lawyer-con cocted claims and all the defamation and name-calling and daily press re leases and press conferences," Miami attorney Eric Isicoff told The Herald by telephone. "What we want to do is bring the real issue to the court here and have the court declare, 'Hey, there was a contract. You have the absolute right to leave the Big East conference and you've done nothing wrong.' "That's the bottom line." Isicoff, co-counsel Roberto Mar tinez and Aaron Podhurst filed the lawsuit on behalf of UM. Isicoff said Miami is "looking for substantial damages against the Big East and the other schools ... and we would estimate those damages are going to range into the millions of dollars." Miami also filed an appeal Monday with the Supreme Court of Connecti cut to immediately review trial judge Samuel Sferrazza's recent order deny ing UM's motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. UM was sued in June by the four schools, but not by the Big East Con ference, for, according to the original lawsuit, conspiring in a scheme to de stroy the league by choosing to defect to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Miami claims in Monday's lawsuit that in 1999 it expressed to Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese that it had 16 concerns with the Big East — Epr—--— including scheduling, marketing, TV rights and the ability of members to leave the conference. It claims those concerns were not addressed and that it signed an amended Big East Consti tution in 2001 under false pretenses that the issues would be resolved. Either way, Isicoff said UM legally abided by the amended constitution by giving its notice to leave the Big East by this past June 30 and by pay ing its $ 1 million exit fee. "There was no commitment to stay in the conference for any period of time," Isicoff said. "It was a revised and amended out-clause that was very clear and unequivocal: You give your notice by June 30 and you pay your money within a year — $ 1 million — and you're free to go. "In the past 25 years, 39 other schools have changed conferences, and there has never been a lawsuit. It's nothing extraordinary." UM athletic director Paul Dee said Monday in a written statement, "We took this action very reluctantly, be cause we think litigation in this mat- * ter is neither productive nor desirable. "However, the barrage of lawsuits ■ emanating out of Big East member * schools, have forced us to take steps to protect our rights and reputation." Most recently, the four Big East schools filed a second lawsuit last Tuesday over the ACC expansion, adding Boston College, its athletic di rector and four ACC officers to the list of defendants. The Big East acknowledged Mon day's lawsuit, but spokesman Rob Carolla said there would be no public comment. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the most vocal ly aggressive plaintiff on behalf of his side's lawsuits, told The Associated Press that UM's lawsuits are unfound ed and show Miami is acting out of "fear and anger." "Any harm claimed by the Univer sity of Miami plainly is self-inflicted or nonexistent, and pales in compari son to the damage it has done to its Big East partners," Blumenthal said. The defendants have 20 days to re- * spond to the complaint. (c) 2003, The Miami Herald. 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