Hugh Culverhouse Jr. Gave the University of Alabama $21.5 Million, but It Wants to Give It Back Because He Opposes the State's Abortion Law

School Of Law at the University Of Alabama
Farrah Hall School Of Law at the University Of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on July 5, 2018. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Philanthropist Hugh Culverhouse Jr. may be on the cusp of having a $21.5 million donation he gave to the University of Alabama returned following a dispute over the state's new abortion law.

According to Tuscaloosa News, Culverhouse Jr., the son of the late real estate investor and Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Hugh Culverhouse, has taken exception to the new law, calling for a boycott of Alabama's state institutions and a partial refund of his donation over the legislation.

"I cannot stand by silently and allow my name to be associated with a state educational system that teaches students law that clearly conflicts with the United States Constitution and federal law, and which promotes blatant discrimination," Culverhouse said of the law. The law bans abortions in the state, including in instances of pregnancy following incest and rape.

The businessman donated in excess of $25 million to the University of Alabama in September 2018, the largest single gift to the institution in its 187-year history. In recognition of the donation, the college's law school was renamed the Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law.

However, the signing into law of the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, one of the nation's most restrictive pieces of abortion legislation, has caused an irreconcilable rift between Culverhouse and the University of Alabama. So much so that the college doesn't just want to return $10 million of the development magnate's donation, as asked, but the vast majority of the gift.

"As part of an ongoing dispute, last week Hugh Culverhouse, Jr. asked for the return of $10 million, repeating numerous demands about the operations of the University of Alabama School of Law," the University of Alabama said in a statement Wednesday. "Consequently, yesterday Chancellor [Finis] St. John recommended to the board of trustees that it return all of Mr. Culverhouse's $21.5 million donation to the Law School," it added.

As Culverhouse reportedly looks to fund those challenging the abortion law, the University of Alabama has also said it will be stripping his name from the law school.

Alabama's new abortion law has been viewed as an unambiguous attempt to overturn the constitutional precedent established by Roe v. Wade. The law outlaws all abortions with the single exception of serious medical endangerment to the mother. The law, which becomes active in November, has already drawn a number of legal challenges, as intended.

In total, Culverhouse Jr. and his wife, Eliza, have donated nearly $40 million to the University of Alabama over the last 10 years. The school's college of business is named after his father, a university alumnus.

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About the writer


Callum Paton  is a staff writer at Newsweek specializing in North Africa and the Middle East. He has worked freelance ... Read more

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