Complaint Over Belmont-Watkins Acquisition Dismissed

A Tennessee judge dismissed a complaint Tuesday that challenged Belmont University’s acquisition of the Watkins College of Art in Nashville, Tenn.

In a brief, Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal said that the plaintiffs -- two Watkins students and an adjunct professor -- lacked standing to challenge the legality of the merger. The plaintiffs had argued that selling the university to Belmont violated the trust of Samuel Watkins, who established the university in his will.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys have not announced if they will appeal.