• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

SMU Wins Court Decision Over Bush Library Land

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Dec 8, 2006 3:27 pm US/Central

SMU Wins Court Decision Over Bush Library Land

DALLAS (AP) ― Southern Methodist University has won a court ruling that could boost its bid to host the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

Federal District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer ruled Thursday that SMU has clear title to a condominium complex that university officials have considered for the library. SMU and two other colleges are bidding for the library.

Leon Bennett, SMU's vice president for legal affairs, said the university plans to evict the remaining residents this month and begin tearing down the condominiums.

Two condo owners -- a dentist who moved out and a lawyer who still lives there -- claimed the university used unfair tactics to buy out owners at low prices.

The university denied the charges, and the judge wrote that the plaintiffs didn't prove SMU broke the University Gardens Condominiums bylaws.

The plaintiffs said they plan to appeal.

The two men filed the lawsuit last year in state court. The case was moved to federal court last month. It has been delayed many times, including when one of the plaintiffs filed for bankruptcy protection.

SMU officials have declined to discuss details of their bid for the presidential library, including its precise location.

SMU is considered a front-runner for the library. First lady Laura Bush graduated from the university and serves on its board of trustees, and the school's location near downtown Dallas is seen as a better draw for tourists.

The other bidders are Baylor University in Waco and the University of Dallas, which is in suburban Irving. Texas Tech University in Lubbock was eliminated. A decision is expected early next year.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Dallas / Fort Worth Local News

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Stations Group of Texas L.P. All Rights Reserved.