NOW: University of Alabama grounds crews are taking down the signage in front of UA’s School of Law. The Board of Trustees voted this morning to return Hugh Culverhouse’s $21.5 million donation and restore the name of the law school to The University of Alabama School of Law. pic.twitter.com/KmGFbaUoYg
— Chelsea Barton (@ChelseaBarton_) June 7, 2019
Roll Tide!
Via Daily Caller:
The University of Alabama decided Friday it will return $21.5 million to its biggest donor and remove his name off of its law school after administrators said he was trying to direct how the funds will be used.
Hugh Culverhouse, Jr., a Florida lawyer and investor, donated $26.5 million in September 2018, which was the largest donation in the history of the college. Culverhouse reportedly wanted the university to be included in a boycott against the abortion laws Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed May 15. They are considered to be the most restrictive in the country. Doctors are not allowed to perform abortions unless it is absolutely necessary for the mother’s health, and breaking the law could result in up to 99 years in prison for doctors.
The school’s board of trustees made the decision to give back $21.5 million, and within hours University of Alabama grounds crew members were removing Culverhouse’s name from the law school, which had been named after him, NPR reported.
The university said the issue at hand was about how his donation would be used, not about the abortion law. Culverhouse allegedly asked for $10 million back and was trying to make decisions about how the donation would be spent, according to a memo from Chancellor Finis St. John IV, according to The New York Times.