Friday • April 18, IS I
A&M, state education officials reach deal on arena financim
* ^
COLLEGE STATION (AP) — Texas A&M
University officials said Thursday they have
settled a dispute with state education regula
tors over financing of the school’s new arena.
Texas A&M said it will use private dona
tions to immediately create an endowment
of at least $2 million for academic scholar
ships. The University promised to have at
least $5 million in the endowment within
five years.
The school also will allot at least $2 mil
lion more than planned to an endowment
for operations and maintenance of Reed
Arena, now under construction.
“I’m pleased,’' A&M President Ray
Bowen said. “I never had any doubt from
the beginning that we’d reach an under
standing about it.”
The deal requires formal approval by the
Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.
The agreement came three months after
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
Board urged A&M to raise more private mon
ey for construction of the special events cen
ter when a land donation yielded $ 12 million
less than expected.
Some board members said approval of the
arena in 1994hinged on proceeds from the tract
near Katy, and that they were told it was worth
$13 million. It ultimately sold for $1 million.
They believed A&M had promised to use
private money to pay for a significant por
tion of the construction costs.
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Bowen said there had been a misunder
standing since student fees were to be used
to pay for the stadium. But the university
did plan to reimburse the student fund with
profits from the land deal.
Bowen and Leonard Rauch, the coordi
nating board chairman, decided Thursday on
scholarships instead of putting the money
into the general student fund and possibly
spending it on something else in the future.
“It’s a more direct, very visible benefit. I think
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it made everybody feel good,” Bowen sail
Rauch also was satisfied with the agreei
“What I didn’t want is money being
en away from student use fees to pay!
building,” Rauch said.
The $36.8 million arena, the schools!
special events center, will seat 12,50Cl
host graduation, basketball games, cone
rodeos and ice shows for 43,000 students;
the surrounding community. It isschedt
to open in spring 1998.
Lawyer indict
on ambulance
chasing charge
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)-(i
of the nation’s richest penoJ
injury lawyers was indirl
I lim sciiiyonambulance-choil l|
charges, accused of hiring 'a(leli|
dent mnniMs” to recruitclien:# 1 'I
ter a deadly airline crash. F 1 *'
John M. O’Quinn, whoea;l
an estimated $40 million§j
breast implant cases, iL^i
charged along with three0:M se |
Houston lawyers with illejmj
soliciting clients after their
crash of USAir Flight lObidal
Charlotte, N.C. ■ B|
“1 have done nothingwrl
and I am innocent of tk;
charges,” said O’Quinn, whofi
resents the families of fivevitt
from the crash.
“Not one client has cn
plained about me. Nobody I
resent in the USAir case bases:
plained about me.”
Flight 1016 was traveling!
Columbia when it went dowiiE
thunderstorm, killing37oftlti
people aboard.
Most of the victims were!
South Carolina.
Of the five families O’Quim
resents, three have settled
claims, while two othersareiist 01
dement talks with the airline.
O’Quinn and the others at
accused of improperlysott
ing the business of founictims 1
families following theW
crash, state Attorney GmjjjP?-
Charlie Condon said. »‘ e
The lawyers also face cons:
acy charges in the hiringthes
lawyer “accident runners.” i
South Carolina bars law
from personally solicitingP
dent victims.
O’Quinn also is charged!
splitting fees or agreeing to
fees with non-lawyers andso! ns
iting legal business in Southfc Wi
olina without having been
* mitted or sworn to practicel ^
I in the state.
Attorneys Carl D. Shaw
Charles Benton Musslewhiti
were indicted on charges of
spiracy, solicitation, spYittffig
with non-lawyers and praeff
law without being admittei
I sworn. Lawyer Charles
Musslewhite Jr. was indictedd
solicitation charge.
The indictments end ay'
long investigation pronf
when Condon was contacts
U.S. District Judge JosephAni
son, who was the trial judgi
the case brought against If
by some victims’ families
1 survivors.
A 12-member jury lastmc
found the airline, nowknotf
USAirways, liable for actual^
ages but not for potentially^ 1
costly punitive damages. Se'
jiassengers and victims’faro
have settled with the carriet
the amounts remain secret.
Similar civil allegations" 1
? filed against O’Quinn
others in December by the) 1
Bar of Texas. O’Quinn
earned an estimated SlOf
lion in 1994 from his wort
breast implant and similar
es, according to Forbes m
zine — denied any wrongd®!
at that time.
The Texas Bar alleged
O’Quinn paid about $100,0
the elder Musslewhite to
pay for lining up clients. Mu
white allegedly signed up^
attorney “runners” to coi
potential clients.
Betty Edward of Houston,"
allegedly was a runner in the
Air case, was granted imiflii 1
from charges in exchange^
formation on the lawyers
don’s spokesman Robb Mo
neysaid.
“Basically I’m finally gW 1
they’re trying to get this 01
said the elder Musslewhite
oad
WOi