The San Francisco Chronicle reports (subscription required) a California trial court ruled this week the claims by plaintiffs challenging the decision of Hastings College of Law to rename itself UC Law San Francisco (so dropping the Hastings name) fail as a matter of law. While the court found that at least some of the plaintiffs had “special interest” standing to pursue the action, it concluded that the statute on which the plaintiffs relied was not a contract and so could not form the basis for a breach of contract action. The court further concluded that none of the other claims raised by the plaintiffs (bill of attainder/ex post facto; state constitutional violation; waste of taxpayer funds; deprivation of civil rights under 42 U.S.C. 1983) stated a valid claim as a matter of law. Additional coverage: ReutersWashington Post.
Hat Tip: TaxProf Blog.
Lloyd Mayer
