Barnes Foundation seeks dismissal of court petition
Posted By Admin on March 30, 2011
Ive been reading through the beleaguered Barnes Foundations preliminary objections to the latest petition to reopen a nearly 7-year-old court decision, which permitted the move of its famed art collection from its historic home into a new building being erected a few miles away in downtown Philadelphia.
Im no lawyer, but I have to say Im surprised. Apparently the Barnes is hoping the judge wont be reading too closely.
On Tuesday, the court will be asked to dismiss a suit brought by opponents of the move, who claim that significant new information has come to light in the case. The opponents petition argues that state officials — notably, then-Atty. Gen. Mike Fisher, who is now a federal judge — applied inappropriate pressure to a school designated as steward of the collection in order to diminish its role on the Barnes board of trustees.
Fisher recounted his actions in the 2009 documentary movie The Art of the Steal. The court ruled in 2004 that the collection could be moved.
The Barnes objects that the Fisher information is not new because it was widely reported at that time — more than seven years ago — in the local press. Five stories published in the Philadelphia Inquirer are cited in support of that position.
And thats where the surprise comes in.
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