Princeton's family feud

My top secret plan for tonight's nonprofit organization's law class is to use the Princeton case to provide an overview of prudent (and imprudent) management practices. 

The case is a classic example of why you want a lawyer who can sift out the losing claims.  The lawsuit reflects a number of legitimate concerns arising from lack of attention to donor intent, but damn, the plaintiffs' lawyers make so many crappy arguments that my neck got worn out from how hard I was shaking my head.  They would have done much better to laser in on the strong points (I mean, a 71 page complaint?!?), because the obvious longshots seriously diminish the overall credibility of their clients' case. 

The family's lawyers would have also strengthened their case by seeking a less extreme remedy--say, an injunction ordering Princeton to avoid certain practices and to engage in others--instead of the attention-getting but most likely futile bid to get a judge to hand over an 800-million-dollar Ivy League academic center to the original donors' kids.

If you want to read more, check out the opposing websites run by the Robertson family and Princeton.