Mediating Board Conflict to Prevent Threatened Legal Action

The Client

A national sports competition organization.

The Challenge

In a highly contested race for the prestigious office of the association presidency, one candidate waged a campaign that involved very publicly criticizing the opponent, which, in turn, served to discredit the organization. This candidate eventually won the popular election. Far-reaching legal ramifications could possibly have included slander, libel, and other potential lawsuits. The alternative would be a recall election, which, in worst-case scenarios, can be highly destructive to an organization.

The Solution

High-level mediation was required to create peace and restore trust as well as resolve the personality conflicts that resulted from the election and the popularly elected candidate’s comments that made the organization look bad in the media.