Westfield State Legal Bills Mount in Fight With Ex-President
January 17, 2014 | Read Time: 1 minute
Westfield State University in western Massachusetts could face legal costs of up to $1.5-million in its court battle with former campus president Evan S. Dobelle, writes The Republican of Springfield, Mass.
The institution’s top financial officer told trustees this week that it has already been billed $500,000 by the law firm defending it against suits filed by Mr. Dobelle, who resigned on November 8 amid state investigations into lavish expenses he charged to the university and its affiliated foundation.
Kimberly Tobin, Westfield State’s interim vice president for administration and finance, recommended that the board shift $1.2-million from reserve accounts to pay legal expenses. A university spokeswoman said the proposed transfer would come from reserve accounts maintained for unexpected costs, not from student programs or services.
