HBCU Coalition Asks Legislators to Settle Lawsuit, With $577M Offer

There’s renewed determination in corners of Annapolis to settle a 13-year lawsuit by historically black colleges and universities against the state of Maryland – after a settlement offer was sent to legislative leaders on Tuesday.

The letter came after several rounds of court-ordered mediation to settle the case have failed, most recently in July.

The Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education, as the HBCUs are collectively known in court filings, is willing to settle the case for $577 million “spread over a reasonable time period,” attorney Michael Jones wrote Tuesday.

The letter was sent to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert), House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), Del. Darryl Barnes (D-Prince George’s), the Legislative Black Caucus chairman, and Del. Charles E. Sydnor III (D-Baltimore County), who is the black caucus parliamentarian and has pressed for a resolution to the HBCU case in the past.

Read more: https://www.marylandmatters.org/2019/09/10/hbcu-coalition-asks-legislators-to-settle-lawsuit-with-577-million-offer/