The Saint Augustine’s University Board of Trustees is trying to stop a lawsuit filed by the alumni organization Save SAU Coalition and two former board members.
On Monday, lawyers representing the board filed a motion in Wake County Superior Court to dismiss the complaint filed by the Save SAU Coalition and former board members Henry Debnam and John Larkins.
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The Save SAU Coalition is a group made up of university alumni and other supporters.
The lawsuit filed May 31 by a group of St. Augustine's University alumni and supporters filed a lawsuit to remove the board of trustees. It also accuses the board of not following bidding procedures for construction projects, violating bylaws and breaching their implied duties.
Monday’s motion lists 11 reasons to support a dismissal.
In a letter released in June, St. Augustine’s Board of Trustees Chairman Brian Boulware said the university is working on short-term financial solutions to stabilize the university while working on a long-term plan.
Boulware called the alumni behind the lawsuit “disgruntled.”
The university is in the process of fighting for its accreditation.
In December, 2023, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission voted to remove Saint Augustine's from its membership as an accredited university.
Saint Augustine’s appealed the decision, but found out in February it lost the appeal. The university requested to enter arbitration. While in arbitration, the school maintains accreditation, but is scheduled to find out what happens later in July.
Boulware has also rejected a proposal to combine Saint Augustine’s with Shaw University, another HBCU in Raleigh.