Court Rules That Geno Ford Owes Kent St. $1.2 Mill

[Aargh]

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20130716/FREE/130719857

In what's probably the worst liquidated damages clause in the history of basketball coaching, an Ohio court warded Kent St. $1.2 mill.

The liquidated damages clause in the contract required Ford to pay Kent St. the full amount of anything remaining on his contract if he left before the end of the contract. He had 4 years at $300,000 per year, so he has been ordered to pay Kent St. $1.2 mill.

No update on the status of Jim Les's lawsuit against Bradley for paying him the remaining amount he was due on his contract with Bradley. That was one of the most poorly handled coaching changes in the history of basketball.

[blackandgold]

Coach Ford is making $700k a year at Bradley before incentives. I hope he has been living below his means.

[GoShockers89]

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[ShockerPrez]

Geno's attorney is going to witness a hike in his malpractice insurance. Even if he didn't think it was enforceable, how on earth do you let your guy sign that...



In others news, Kent State made sure they will never sign another quality coach again. Jim Christian must feel like an indentured servant who can be fired at any moment but can never leave.

Brutal contract. Kent St must have slipped that in hoping no one would read it. And why would you quit if you knew you had to pay that?

[1972Shocker]

Geno's attorney is going to witness a hike in his malpractice insurance. Even if he didn't think it was enforceable, how on earth do you let your guy sign that...



In others news, Kent State made sure they will never sign another quality coach again. Jim Christian must feel like an indentured servant who can be fired at any moment but can never leave.

Do we know that Christion signed a contract with the same provisions?

[GoShockers89]

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[Kung Wu]

Coach Ford is making $700k a year at Bradley before incentives. I hope he has been living below his means.

It's nowhere near this simple due to taxes but $700k/yr minus $300k/yr in settlement equals $400k/yr. He still comes out ahead?

[bunck]

It's nowhere near this simple due to taxes but $700k/yr minus $300k/yr in settlement equals $400k/yr. He still comes out ahead?

He'll be coming out ahead, but not by a whole lot.

[shoxtop]

Hey, chalk one up for the little guy (for once)! Well played Kent State.

[Aargh]

Between this and Deontae Hawkins, this is becoming one of the more interesting off seasons.

Word from the Bradley message board is that this may be a pre-trial ruling. It's still scheduled to go to trial in October. I'm not certain this doesn't trump the scheduled court dates because a decision has already been made.

http://www.co.portage.oh.us/pa/pa.ur...t_lst?52569854 - Court schedule for suit.

There's another wrinkle. Kent St. is suing BU for tortious interference. That one hasn't seen any major decisions in hearings and hasn't gone to trial. For those doubting Sexton's ability to handle the job, Sexton didn't trigger 4 lawsuits involving WSU when he hired a new coach.

[Kung Wu]

Between this and Deontae Hawkins, this is becoming one of the more interesting off seasons.

Word from the Bradley message board is that this may be a pre-trial ruling. It's still scheduled to go to trial in October. I'm not certain this doesn't trump the scheduled court dates because a decision has already been made.

http://www.co.portage.oh.us/pa/pa.ur...t_lst?52569854 - Court schedule for suit.

There's another wrinkle. Kent St. is suing BU for tortious interference. That one hasn't seen any major decisions in hearings and hasn't gone to trial. For those doubting Sexton's ability to handle the job, Sexton didn't trigger 4 lawsuits involving WSU when he hired a new coach.

Interesting, but I don't see the case for tortious interference. He either had a buyout clause (for the salary remaining on his contract), or he didn't. If he had a buyout and chose to leave, then where's the tortious interference? I suppose that lawsuit was done when the other one was done with the hope that one of them would stick? Since the buyout suit stuck I don't see how tortious interference can, but then again, we haven't seen the contract either.

[GoShockers89]

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[Kung Wu]

It's different from the breach claim- breach is aimed at Ford for not fulfilling his contract; tortious interference is aimed at Bradley for preventing him from fulfilling his contract. You can have a claim against both.

Right, my point is what is their argument of tortious interference? If the contract has a specific buy out option -- meaning Geno can decide to leave his position at Kent State at the peril of having to pay back his unearned salary -- then in what way did Bradley interfere with the contract between Geno and Kent State? Geno simply chose an option that was contractually available to him: To leave with potential ramifications.

Hmm. I suppose if Bradley recruited Geno away from Kent State instead of Geno approaching Bradley (letting them know he was planning on leaving), then there might be something there.

Tricky.

[GoShockers89]

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[DwShock]

Guess we now know who the lawyers are on shockernet.