TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 15, 2024

The two parties in the legal dispute over ownership of the Swan Ball have reached a "settlement in principle" that will determine who owns the annual event, the Cheekwood Botanical Garden or a group of volunteers who produce the multi-day, invitation-only event. Attorneys for both parties submitted a joint statement to a federal judge on Oct. 14 saying that the court mandated mediation — which lasted 10.5 hours, resulted in the preliminary agreement, according to the Nashville Business Journal. In July, a group of volunteers sued Cheekwood, accusing it of "planning a coup" to take control of the gala's planning and operations, Cheekwood then filed a countersuit. In September, a court ruled in favor of the volunteers, finding that the group overseeing the event provided "sufficient evidence" of ownership. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes gave the parties until Nov. 15 to file formal paperwork to dismiss the lawsuit or to update the court on efforts to reach a finalized agreement.