Garth Brooks Awarded $1M in Suit Claiming Hospital Broke Donation Deal to Honor His Mom
A jury has awarded country singer Garth Brooks $1 million in a suit claiming an Oklahoma hospital reneged on an agreement to name a building after his late mother in exchange for a $500,000 donation.
The jury awarded $500,000 on Tuesday for breach of contract and $500,000 in punitive damages, report the Associated Press, E Online and the Tulsa World. The jury had awarded an additional $150,000 in damages but the amount was stricken because it exceeded state caps, the Tulsa World says.
Brooks had alleged the Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon breached an oral agreement to build a women’s health center and name it after his late mother, Colleen Brooks, the stories say. The hospital contended there were no restrictions on the gift. Garth Brooks spent his childhood in Yukon.
Evidence included a memo by hospital CEO James Moore, according to the Tulsa World account. The memo was written after Brooks’ lawyer asked the hospital to return the money or donate it to another charity. The memo read: “We may not deny Garth access to the money, however, we can sure as hell make him work to get it back.”
