In response to: Robertson lawsuit settled

Richard Houck ’71

16 Years Ago

Costly legal settlement

PAW did a masterful job of summarizing the Robertson v. Princeton settlement in four inches of ink (Notebook, Jan. 28). Both the administration and the Robertson family were “happy” with the settlement, both sides were convinced they were right and knew more than the original grantors (likely turning over in their graves), thus leading to the $80 million in legal expenses, most of which came out of foundation money. Wouldn’t one think that the administration and one of its graduates (William Robertson ’72), following the unofficial University motto of “Princeton in the nation’s service,” could have come to the same conclusions after a “liberal arts” conversation over dinner without having spent in legal fees more than twice the sum of the initial foundation endowment?

Couldn’t, and shouldn’t, that $80 million have been used for better purposes than to feed the families of lawyers? What is the lesson for graduates of the Wilson School to have learned: public service in international affairs, or a career in the legal profession? How could anyone have been “happy” with this result knowing what it cost, and what could have been done with that sum of money?

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