Charlotte, North Carolina In exchange for having a lawsuit over the board’s handling of athletics conversations dropped, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill agreed to pay $25,000 and have its trustees swear to uphold the state’s open-meeting regulations.
A Wake County attorney named David McKenzie had filed a case in May with Orange County Superior Court, alleging that trustees had broken open-meetings statutes during prior private sessions pertaining to athletics budgets. As UNC trustees voiced their opinions on athletics, they drew attention to the rising national unrest caused by colleges switching leagues in an attempt to increase their revenue from television deals in a market dominated by football.
McKenzie said he was “satisfied” with the deal, which included the university paying $25,000 to cover McKenzie’s expenditures and legal fees in exchange for him agreeing to dismiss the complaint, according to WRAL of Raleigh.
McKenzie stated to The News & Observer of Raleigh, “They have to do things in public if they’re going to take the public’s money.” “And then those times that they don’t, they may be on the hook for attorneys’ fees.”
McKenzie’s initial complaint was prompted by the trustees’ announcement that they would be holding a closed-door meeting to discuss the UNC athletics budget and that they had previously discussed athletics-related items in private in November. This was said in response to remarks casting doubt on the athletics director Bubba Cunningham’s financial situation. However, UNC’s acting chancellor, Lee Roberts, openly supported Cunningham in a public rebuke of the board.
A judge issued several interim restraining orders to prevent the UNC trustees from holding closed sessions to discuss financial matters related to athletics, which may involve future conference alignment.
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