Hannah Carter's heirs file suit against Board of Regents for alleged breach of contract about garden
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 8, 2012 8:41 p.m.
A suit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday against the UC Board of Regents claims the regents have breached a contract protecting the UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
The heirs of Hannah Carter are suing the regents for reportedly violating an agreement to maintain the Bel Air garden in perpetuity. In November, UCLA announced plans to auction off the garden, donated in 1965 by Hannah Carter and her husband, former UC Regents Chair Edward Carter.
The announcement sparked calls for the garden’s protection by conservation groups and the UCLA community.
A UCLA spokesman told the Times on Tuesday that the university intends to contest the lawsuit.
In a February editorial in the Daily Bruin, Chancellor Gene Block said the garden does not serve a teaching or research purpose, and has been accompanied by increasing maintenance costs and issues surrounding parking availability.
An Alameda Superior Court judge approved the sale of the garden in 2010.
Compiled by Kylie Reynolds, Bruin senior staff.
