Coalition To Save Westminster Choir College Files Lawsuit Against Rider University

PRINCETON, NJ — Members of the Coalition to Save Westminster Choir College have filed a lawsuit against Rider University to prevent the university from selling the college’s Princeton campus.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in New York City on Tuesday, alleges Rider has no legal right to sell the college and its Princeton campus.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are members of the Westminster Community including students, parents, alumni and donors. Legal costs will be covered by the Coalition.

The plaintiffs allege Rider is violating the conditions of the merger the university and the college agreed to in the early 1990s, according to the Princeton Packet. They are asking the court to make the university surrender its rights to the college.

The university responded to the lawsuit by reaffirming its viewpoint that the college’s legacy can best be preserved with an entity that is better positioned to make the necessary investments to keep the college going, according to the report.

Rider University announced its intention to sell the campus in March. The decision came after the university initially said it was looking to close the campus and consolidate it with the campus in Lawrenceville to help with some of the university’s financial problems.

The university has said it will work with an outside entity to sell the college and the campus in a process that may take up to a year. One possibility is to sell the college itself, and then to sell the physical campus as a separate entity.

The coalition was formed shortly after university announced its plans for consolidation. In May, it retained Princeton attorney Bruce Afran to work on its behalf.

Former Gov. Tom Kean has been named an honorary chairman of the coalition, according to Planet Princeton.

Patch file photo of Rider University