WSFA 12 News Montgomery, AL |Lawsuit fails to return Reed's name to Acadome

Lawsuit fails to return Reed's name to Acadome

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A lawsuit aimed at getting Joe Reed's name back on the basketball arena at Alabama State University has failed.

Former Alabama State trustee Frankie Underwood had filed a lawsuit accusing the trustees of violating the state's Open Meeting Act when they decided to remove Reed's name from the university's Acadome last year.

Montgomery County Circuit Judge Truman Hobbs Jr. ruled Wednesday there was no evidence of a violation. (CLICK HERE TO READ HIS REPORT.)

"This is a great day for ASU because the Circuit Court stated in its ruling that there were no laws broken by the action of ASU's Board of Trustees in changing the name of one of its campus buildings," said Kenneth L. Thomas, ASU university counsel. "This is an even greater day for all colleges and universities in Alabama because the court, in our opinion, affirmed the right of all schools to name the buildings on their campuses in accordance with their own wishes and without government intervention."

Reed is chairman of black wing of the Alabama Democratic Party and associate executive secretary of the Alabama Education Association. The trustees voted to take his name off the arena after he challenged the severance pay for former Alabama State President Joe Lee.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)