February 6, 2012

Hospital Loses to Garth Brooks in Lawsuit Over $500,000 Donation

By Holly Hall

A wave of unwelcome publicity has engulfed a nonprofit hospital in Yukon, Okla., hometown of the country music singer Garth Brooks, after a jury last month ordered it to return a $500,000 gift from the star—and pay him another $500,000 in damages.

The hospital’s $1-million loss contains a lesson for fundraisers about how easily things can go wrong with a big gift. Mr. Brooks sued Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital after he said it failed to honor a promise to