Lawsuit Filed against University of Miami

The Miami New Times is reportingthat Dr. Norman Block, a chairholder at the University of Miami’s Miller Schoolof medicine, has brought a legal action against the school on the grounds thatit has improperly disbursed funds from a $1 million endowment for prostateresearch.  Says the story:

The $1 million at the heart of thedispute was given to UM in 1981 by L. Austin Weeks, a philanthropist who laterdied from prostate cancer. He left the money “to enhance the researchbeing conducted at the University of Miami School of Medicine in the field ofprostate cancer” and asked that it be used to support a chairholder and aresearch position, as well as help incorporate hormonal studies and increase ananimal research colony.

Weeks recommended his own doctor —Block, a renowned urologist — as the first chairholder. Block has held thatchair ever since and has used the gift to help UM become a leader in the fieldthrough innovative studies and hires ….

All of that fell apart in August,Block says. That’s when — in addition to learning about the cuts to his ownfunding — he discovered the school had disbursed $441,723.24 from the endowmentwithout his consent. (The suit doesn’t specify where that money went.)

Aspokesperson for the school reportedly offered no public statement about thelitigation and explained that the school’s policy forbids commenting on “personnelmatters.”

JRB