LISTSERV mailing list manager LISTSERV 16.0

Help for ELCANEWS Archives


ELCANEWS Archives

ELCANEWS Archives


ELCANEWS@LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

ELCANEWS Home

ELCANEWS Home

ELCANEWS  August 1996

ELCANEWS August 1996

Subject:

Aamodt, Augsburg Fortress Sue

From:

Brenda Williams <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

ElcaNews <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Thu, 8 Aug 1996 16:56:53 -0500

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (104 lines)

Title: Aamodt, Augsburg Fortress Sue
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 9, 1996

AAMODT, AUGSBURG FORTRESS SUE (101 lines)
96-19-056-AH

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A suit was filed July 30 between Augsburg
Fortress Publishers, the publishing house of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, and Gary J.N. Aamodt, former
president of Augsburg Fortress, in Minnesota's Hennepin County
District Court.
     Augsburg Fortress hired Aamodt in 1992 as president and CEO
and asked him to resign at a board meeting in Toronto in April
1995.  The publishing house alleges that Aamodt took excessive
compensation without obtaining authorization from the Board of
the Publishing House and breached a duty of loyalty by failing to
disclose his actions to the board.
     The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA,
expressed "confidence" in the Board of the Publishing House and
supports "its efforts to resolve this unfortunate dispute."
     According to Augsburg Fortress attorneys Aamodt commenced
the suit against the publishing house Sept. 28, 1995, and
Augsburg Fortress served a counterclaim upon Aamodt.  The filing
of papers with the court in Minneapolis made the lawsuit a matter
of public record.
     Specifically the Augsburg Fortress counterclaim alleges that
Aamodt improperly received ownership of a deferred annuity to
supplement his retirement benefits and, without approval of the
board, arranged to have the resulting personal tax obligations
paid by Augsburg Fortress.
     Aamodt charges the publishing house with breach of contract,
fraud, defamation and causing emotional distress.  Augsburg
Fortress has denied Aamodt's allegations, according to attorneys.

Each party is asking for financial damages.  Aamodt has asked for
jury trial.
     The Rev. David L. Tiede, St. Paul, Minn., chaired the Board
of the Publishing House in 1995 and asked for Aamodt's
resignation.  Tiede praised the ELCA for providing him with
"extremely competent assistance, helping the board act
responsibly."  He said, "As soon as any irregularity was
suggested we undertook an audit and sought legal counsel.  The
executive committee had two months to research the situation
before the board met."  Tiede is the president of Luther
Seminary, St. Paul.
     Tiede stressed the responsibility of the board and the
success of the church's systems.
"Church leaders supplied what the board needed to make sound
decisions.  The board discharged its duty with insight, courage
and responsibility."
     Tiede said, "The church is full of volunteer boards that do
not expect to be faced with such a serious problem.  What is
remarkable is that, when it happened the church's fail-safe
systems worked.  The Office of the Bishop went right to work and
found the professional counsel we needed.  The full board
received full disclosure of the process."
     Anderson said Tiede and the board, "by their efforts to
discover and remedy problems existing at Augsburg Fortress, have
exercised their appropriate role as directors.  I am grateful to
them for their diligence and their prompt response, and
especially to Dr. Tiede for his leadership.  Their decisiveness
has restored confidence in our publishing enterprise."
     Augsburg Fortress contends that Aamodt directed the
publishing house to buy a Lutheran Brotherhood annuity in
Aamodt's name and pay the first year premium of $234,027.  He
also allegedly had the company pay a tax bill of $200,160 that
resulted from his ownership of the annuity.  The counterclaim
alleges Ausgburg Fortress also paid $129,634 to obtain a $300,000
life insurance policy for Aamodt and an additional $110,874 for
taxes.  According to Augsburg Fortress, leasing a Mercedes for
Aamodt amounted to a $3,515 expenditure.
     In all, Augsburg Fortress says Aamodt received $826,665 in
1993.  Of that amount the board did not authorize payments of
$548,576, according to the counterclaim.
     In an interview Aamodt said, "I had a contract with Augsburg
Fortress and I guess this is about promises made and promises not
kept, an awful lot of bumbling on the part of the board, a secret
process about which I knew nothing and an ambush in Toronto.
And charges against me that are not true."
     Aamodt said he was "presented with a way for the
organization to fulfill the supplemental retirement benefits."
He said, "I was presented with a plan, an annuity for retirement"
and told "we could look at it again about eight years out and see
what we thought."
     Aamodt said, "I take very seriously my position of trust
within the church.  Obviously I've been cut off from all sorts of
natural contacts.  This came as a terrible blow to me, it took
away what I regarded as a vocational commitment, one that
combines my love for the church with my love for publishing.
It's been a tough year."
     According to the Rev. Marvin L. Roloff,  Augsburg Fortress
president, "Augsburg Fortress has always been open to resolution
and continutes to be open to resolution of these disputes prior
to trial.  We move into this confidently because we feel the
leadership reflected by this church was responsible leadership
all the way through the board and chair and management."
     The next step will be the process of discovery in which
sworn testimony will be taken and documents exchanged between
parties, attorneys said.

For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service,
(312) 380-2958; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312) 380-2955

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
November 2018
October 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
November 2000
October 2000
September 2000
August 2000
July 2000
June 2000
May 2000
April 2000
March 2000
February 2000
January 2000
December 1999
November 1999
October 1999
September 1999
August 1999
July 1999
June 1999
May 1999
April 1999
March 1999
February 1999
January 1999
December 1998
November 1998
October 1998
September 1998
August 1998
July 1998
June 1998
May 1998
April 1998
March 1998
February 1998
January 1998
December 1997
November 1997
October 1997
September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996
September 1996
August 1996
July 1996
June 1996
May 1996
April 1996
March 1996
February 1996
January 1996

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager