A Mercer County Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of Rider University’s motion to dismiss two lawsuits that sought to block it from moving the Westminster Choir College to its Lawrence Township campus.
Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy issued his ruling on March 2.
Dismissal of the two lawsuits means that Rider University can go ahead with its plan to relocate the Westminster Choir College from its Princeton campus to the Lawrence Township campus.
The two lawsuits were filed by the Westminster Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey, Inc. – which is not affiliated with Rider University or the Westminster Choir College – and by a group of 71 Westminster Choir College students.
The students and the Westminster Foundation opposed the move because they claim that Rider University would be unable to match the specialized facilities on the Princeton campus that the conservatory music students require.
Through its motion to dismiss the lawsuits, Rider University claimed that the students did not have the right to use the courts to protect the school. The university asserted that it is the only body that can make decisions regarding the Westminster Choir College.
Rider University officials were satisfied with Judge Lougy’s ruling.
“Much work already is under way to successfully transition Westminster’s programs to Lawrenceville, and much work remains,” Rider University President Gregory Dell’Omo said.
“We recognize that while change can be unsettling, it is sometimes necessary and it can lead to new possibilities. The transition will be most successfully achieved if we work together as a community,” Dell’Omo said.
Rider University acquired the Westminster Choir College through a merger in 1992. Four years ago, it decided to sell the college for financial reasons. It found a buyer in a commercial Chinese government-owned entity known as Beijing Kaiwen Educational Technology Ltd.
The deal fell through in July 2019, and that’s when Rider University officials announced plans to consolidate and move the Westminster Choir College to the Lawrence Township campus.
