(Story update) Okla. hospital must return $500K to Garth Brooks

[The Straight Story]

CLAREMORE, Okla. (AP) -- An Oklahoma hospital in country singer Garth Brooks' hometown must return his $500,000 donation because it failed to build a women's center in honor of his late mother, jurors ruled Tuesday.

Jurors sided with the country star in the breach-of-contract lawsuit he filed against IntegrisCanadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon. Brooks said he thought he'd reached a deal in 2005 with the hospital's president, James Moore, but sued after learning the hospital wanted to use the money for other construction projects.

The hospital had argued that Brooks gave it unrestricted access to the money and only later asked that the hospital build a women's center and name it after his mother, Colleen Brooks, who died of cancer in 1999.

The jury included several of the singer's fans, but all said they could judge the case fairly.

During the trial, Brooks said he thought he had a solid agreement with Moore, whom he said initially suggested putting his mother's name on an intensive care unit. When Brooks said that wouldn't fit his mother's image, Moore suggested a women's center, the singer testified.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PEOPLE_GARTH_BROOKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-01-24-18-57-15

[southernyankeebelle]

1. I am glad he won. A hand shake is a shake

[DURHAM D]

2. Glad it went this way.

Colleen was well known and much loved in the area.

She was very supportive of various charitable organizations. In particular an organization that raised money for housing for people living with HIV/AIDS.

[rustydog]

3. The hospital I work at just named a new cancer center we're building

after generous benefactors. Our hospice care center is named after benefactors.
I'm glad the jury sided with Brooks.

[KatyaR]

4. The interesting thing about this is

in an earlier deposition, Brooks said he couldn't remember what was said and so wasn't sure if they had committed or not. I honestly thought he would lose after that. Don't pity INTEGRIS, they have millions of dollars, they'll never miss half a mill....