August 30, 2001

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Today, trial lawyers from North Palm Beach, Florida, and Birmingham, representing a 16-year-old former UAB student filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit alleging that officers and employees of the university failed to provide proper supervision of her after awarding her a scholarship. The lawsuit also claims that UAB students, including student-athletes, subjected her to sexual and emotional abuse.

The charges against UAB’s administrators and coaches are entirely without merit and represent nothing more than a cynical attempt to extort money by slandering this institution and its employees. Indeed, the lawyers who filed the case frankly admitted that they would do so at a time calculated to produce the most damaging publicity possible, particularly for the athletic program.

Each of the administrators and coaches named in the lawsuit is a person of the highest integrity, who fulfills his or her duties at UAB with the utmost honor and responsibility. Every one of these people cares deeply about the university and its students. Based upon everything we have been able to determine, each one named in this lawsuit acted appropriately and responsibly. These people actually went beyond their usual duties in trying to advise and counsel this student.

The university does not represent or provide legal services for its students. The university does not possess sufficient information at this juncture to evaluate fully the allegations against our students. A complete investigation of those allegations is under way. Significantly, while these serious allegations of misconduct are claimed to have occurred almost a year ago, and over a ten-month period, other than recent demands issued through her lawyers, the plaintiff has never offered any complaint to the university, local medical services, police authorities, or other related security forces, before filing this lawsuit.

We do not suggest that the plaintiff’s claims are unworthy of careful scrutiny. It is important to remember, however, that allegations alone do not represent the truth. We must recognize that it is not the function of a publicly funded university to pay trial lawyers money simply because they say their client is entitled or to buy silence.