Duke will fight the $450,000 scheduling lawsuit brought against it by the University of Louisville.
"We do not believe the lawsuit has merit," John Burness, Duke senior vice president for public affairs and government relations, told The Raleigh News & Observer. "And we expect this will emerge in the courtroom."
Louisville is suing Duke for reneging on the four-game football series scheduled by the schools in 1999. The Blue Devils canceled the series in March 2003 after the Cardinals defeated the Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium 40-3 Sept. 7, 2002.
According to the lawsuit filed Nov. 1 in Franklin, Ky., Louisville wants Duke to pay $150,000 for each of the three games Duke canceled. Louisville charges that Duke and the Atlantic Coast Conference did not attempt to find a replacement of similar stature for the three games, as required by the agreement. The ACC, however, is not mentioned in the lawsuit.
According to court records, Duke Athletic Director Joe Alleva promised to pay the fee if Louisville could not find a replacement after making a "good faith" attempt.
The Cardinals claim they called every Division I-A school in search of a replacement with little help from the Blue Devils. Louisville added Murray State and Utah to its 2007 schedule, and it still has open spots in 2008 and 2009.
--from staff reports
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