Statement by University of Minnesota General Counsel about Supreme Court decision on Williams v. Smith and U of M

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (08/08/2012) —The Minnesota Supreme Court today ruled in favor of Coach Tubby Smith and the University of Minnesota in the case brought against them by James R. Williams. The ruling finally concludes the long-running legal dispute, and means the university will owe nothing to Williams. The Court's decision holds that Williams' "mistaken assumption" that Coach Smith had final authority to hire Williams cannot support a legal claim against Smith or the university. The Court declared that Smith could not have misled Williams about his hiring authority because Smith told Williams that Athletics Director Joel Maturi had final authority over the hiring decision before Williams resigned his position at Oklahoma State. The Court went on to declare that Williams' sole claim against Smith and the university - negligent misrepresentation - simply is not a valid legal basis to sue Smith or the university in this context. University of Minnesota General Counsel Mark Rotenberg issued the following statement in response to the opinion: "The university is pleased with today's decision, which finally puts an end to this case and vindicates our longstanding position that Williams' claims against Coach Smith and the university had no legal merit. We are particularly gratified by the Court's clear recognition that Smith did not mislead Willliams into quitting his job at OSU.