Court overturns award against Minnesota, Smith

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Supreme Court overturned a $1 million award against the University of Minnesota and Coach Tubby Smith on Wednesday, ruling that although they treated a prospective assistant coach unfairly, they couldn’t be held financially responsible for backing out of a job offer that Smith lacked the authority to make.

Jimmy Williams quit as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State in 2007 because he believed Smith had hiring authority when he offered him an assistant coaching position shortly after Smith became head coach of Minnesota’s men’s basketball team. That fell through after Minnesota’s athletics director, Joel Maturi, learned that Williams was cited for multiple major NCAA rules violations while working as a Golden Gophers assistant from 1971 to 1986, the court noted.

Williams sued, claiming he reasonably relied on Smith’s statements during the negotiating process and that Smith therefore had a legal obligation to him.

A Hennepin County jury and the state appeals court sided with Williams, but the high court overturned those decisions Wednesday.

“We believe that the manner in which appellants treated Williams regarding his prospective employment with the university was unfair and disappointing. We do not condone their conduct,” Justice Christopher Dietzen wrote for the majority.

The court concluded that Smith didn’t owe Williams legal protection against negligently misrepresenting his authority. It said publicly available information showed that Maturi had the authority to hire the assistant coach and that Smith didn’t. It also said Smith told Williams just before Williams submitted his resignation to Oklahoma State that Maturi would have to sign off on their deal.

“Williams never asked whether Smith had the authority to hire; he simply assumed that authority existed,” the court said.

Tubby Smith