A lawsuit seeking to stop Sweet Briar College from closing was filed Monday by the Amherst County Attorney, charging that a closure would violate the terms of the will under which the school was founded and that charitable funds have been misused in violation of state law.
The small Virginia college's president, James Jones, shocked students, faculty and alumnae earlier this month when he announced that the 114-year-old school would close forever this summer. Alumnae and faculty have been staunchly opposed to that decision.
"Time is of the essence," the suit, filed on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia by the county attorney, Ellen Bowyer claims, as college officials appear to be rapidly moving to sell assets, destroy documents and "obliterate contractual relationships governing tenancies and endowments."
The suit seeks to stop the closure and replace the school's president and board with a fiduciary to take over the school's assets.
The lawsuit claims that the action, while announced suddenly, appeared to have been in the works for months, with a legal firm offering advice on closure and efforts to form partnerships with other colleges to ease students' ability to transfer, among other things.
Read more at The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/03/30/lawsuit-seeks-to-stop-sweet-briar-college-from-closing