Panel OKs contract to fight Gillispie lawsuit
FRANKFORT — A state legislative panel on Tuesday approved spending up to $100,000 on a contract for a Texas law firm to help the University of Kentucky in its legal fight against former UK coach Billy Gillispie.
The law firm of Fisher & Phillips will be paid through an insurance policy, according to information the university provided to the Government Contract Review Committee.
The university needs lawyers that are licensed to practice law in Texas, the university says in its contract with Fisher & Phillips. The law firm’s contract is not to exceed $100,000 from June 23 to June 30, 2010.
Gillispie has filed a federal lawsuit against the university in Texas. The university has countered with its own lawsuit in Kentucky. At issue is how much Gillispie should be paid after he was fired from the high-profile coaching position this spring.
In his lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas, Gillispie alleged that UK’s athletics department owes him $6 million for firing him two years into a seven-year agreement. The university has countered that the university does not owe the Texas native because he never signed a formal contract.
The Government Contract Review Committee passed the measure without debate.
According to court documents filed in the Kentucky case in Franklin Circuit Court, the university is having a difficult time serving Gillispie with its lawsuit. An attorney for the University of Kentucky, in a June 30 letter to the court, said that the university has tried three different times to serve Gillispie with the court papers in Texas but as of June 30 had not been able to do so.
– Beth Musgrave
Filed Under: Education • State Government
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Has the Texas court ruled on whether or not it is dismissing the lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction?
They should start looking in the local bars. Seriously, I have heard he was playing golf at Idle Hour within the last couple of weeks.
Yeah! Fight him to the end. We ought to sue him to get back the money he was paid while he was here. He came under the guise of being a basketball coach at which he proved he was not very good.
There is no honor among thieves. Everyone of these complaining were the same people jumpin for joy when BCG was hired.
These same rednecks will be trashing ‘Coach Cal’, when he bottoms out as well, these Allan Cutler cutthroats need to shut up and pay the man.
I though the athletics department at UK was making all this money. That is why they can pay Coach Cal all this money. It should never fall on the tax payer to have pay anything toward this deal. It is betwen Billy and UK athletics.
UK will make him an offer soon. Will get pretty much what his attorney is asking for. The full amount. The bonding company may not allow that without a court battle.
He may not be much of a coach, but he does have some documents to support his position. UK is play Public Relations hard ball with its fans. Its just a bunch of BULLA and PR to make it look like they are mad and all. It’s just a matter of time, he will get his money. After, all he didn’t hire us, . . . did he?
what a joke u uk fans are. If ky would have beat ga, the ul game and one other conference game we would have been in the ncaa and would not be having this conversation. just cause he did not kiss a*s is the only reason he is gone. Pay up we broke the contract
What contract it was an agreement not a formal contract , of which Billy Clyde and his redneck lawyer in Texas would eitehr change or add stuff to. UK attempted several times to get a formal contract signed, apparently BCG had a hard time with the provisions with the character clause in the actual contract
agniscrazy, you are wrong! I did not like Gillispie from the beginning and never thought he should have been hired. Before you criticize people you should know what you are talking about not just make generalizations.
Pay up tightwads !! The “essence” of Adolf deserves his money.
I think UK should hire Alan Cutler to serve the papers on Billy G. After all we have video proof that Alan can keep up when that son of a gun runs.
100 K of state funds used for this? While just about every other educational program is faced with cuts in budgets.
DISGRACE.
UK hired him then fired him, let them pay for it.
How about this. Keep him under “contract”, pay him his money (he is going to get it anyway) hand him a broom and let him get completely forgotten about as a basketball coach. He will drink the money away and he will never get another coaching job ever. Maybe then he will negotiate.
The state legislators cannot give the university money to keep tuition down or give raises to its employees but can spend 100K of tax payer money on this! It is time for the 2nd American Revolution!
Pitiful. UK owes him the money so cough it up. You hired him so you must pay the price. Do not put this on taxpayers though.
Wow, the recession must not have hit Kentucky, yet if the Kentucky legislative approve paying $100,000.00 to help fight Billy Gillispie’s lawsuit in Texas. If I was a tax payer in Kentucky I would be upset for my tax dollars going for something like this in this terrible economy and people losing their jobs and not having money to help their family. I sure there is more important things in Kentucky where this amount of money could go on instead of something stupid like this.
I think the University of Kentucky should be picking up the bill on this lawsuit. They can afford the lawsuit or they wouldn’t be paying Coach Calipari his ridiculous salary.
Billy Clyde is due his money, and he will get it. His “talent” as a coach was well known prior to his hiring. No one ever yells about Barnhart, and he is truly the man in over his head. When the search for a new coach was on, Mitch had one person and only one person in mind..Billy Donovan. But unexpectedly Billy said no..and then it was Oh My God what shall I do? He accepted the first available coach. And then Dr. Todd allows him to spend $35M to correct yet another mistake. For every mistake I’ve made on my various jobs I only wish someone had my back with a big fat check to make it all go away.
UK is likely fighting a losing battle and racking up significant legal expenses with this one. Settle up with Gillespie and move on. Even “shorter” agreements can be recognized as valid contracts if the parties so intended and the agreement in question so reflected such intent. UK is simply running a PR campaign right now, albeit not a strong one!
AMEN
You guys daon’t have much to do !