Denver, Colo., Sep 13, 2019 / 15:00 pm
A federal jury concluded Thursday that the Knights of Columbus breached a verbal contract with a technology company that hoped to become a "designated vendor" for local councils and other organizations connected to the Catholic fraternal organization. The jury awarded plaintiff UKnight Interactive $500,000, far less than the $100 million its lawsuit petitioned for.
In a statement released Sept. 12, the Knights of Columbus said they were pleased that the jury saw the lawsuit as a "garden variety contract case," and not the complex case of conspiracy or fraud alleged by the plaintiff.
In the course of litigation, the plaintiff alleged that the Knights of Columbus pad membership numbers, a charge the Knights of Columbus called "baseless."
"As testimony and evidence during the trial revealed, the plaintiffs sought in this contract case to concoct a narrative about the manner and intent behind the way the Knights track its membership numbers. We defended ourselves vigorously against these false claims because we believe we owe it to the men who volunteer their time as members of this organization and to the many people who give generously to our charities to remove any doubt about the honesty, character and integrity of our organization," the Knights of Columbus said.