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Garth Brooks Awarded $1 Million from Hospital

Medical center failed to name building after country star's mother after $500K donation

January 25, 2012 8:30 AM ET
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks performs at the 39th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Morgan Freeman.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI

An Oklahoma jury has awarded Garth Brooks $1 million, saying that a hospital company defrauded the country star by accepting a $500,000 donation and failing to honor his request to name a building after his late mother. The total includes Brooks' original donation along with an extra $500,000 in punitive damages.

Brooks made the donation to Integris Health – the largest health care system in Oklahoma – in 2005. According to the lawsuit, Brooks made a verbal deal with James Moore, the president of the company, to have a women's center named after his mother, but Moore insisted that no promises were made.

Photos: Random Notes

Hardy Watkins, vice president of marketing and communications for Integris, claimed that they had tried to return Brooks' $500,000 – which he had sent as an anonymous donation – after the lawsuit was filed, but the singer turned it down. Integris had not offered to return the money before the suit because they had hoped to reach an agreement with Brooks.

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