By Staff Writer
MIAMI – The battle over leadership at Florida Memorial University (FMU) reached a critical point Friday, September 5, 2025, when a Miami-Dade circuit judge denied an emergency motion brought by Dr. Brandon K. Dumas.
Dumas, who insists he is the rightful chair of FMU’s Board of Trustees, asked the court for a temporary restraining order to stop fellow trustees Bernard Jennings, Walter Weatherington, and Audrey White from acting in ways he claimed violated the school’s bylaws. At the heart of the dispute is who controls the Board — and who holds authority over the university’s presidency.
Judge Javier A. Enriquez rejected the request, ruling that Dumas failed to meet Florida’s strict standards for an injunction. The court found no imminent irreparable harm, no strong likelihood that Dumas would ultimately prevail on the merits, and no justification that such an order would serve the public interest.
Evidence presented by the defendants showed that Walter Weatherington is the duly recognized chair of the Board of Trustees and that Mr. McCormick, formerly the interim leader, is now officially the president of FMU. The judge noted that Dumas had not demonstrated how McCormick’s full-time appointment caused him any personal injury, pointing out that McCormick had already been carrying out presidential duties in his interim role.
“Temporary injunctions are extraordinary and drastic remedies which should be sparingly granted,” Judge Enriquez wrote in his ruling, adding that such orders are meant to preserve the status quo rather than upend existing governance.
Defendants further argued that granting the injunction would have disrupted FMU’s fall semester operations and risked undermining its stability with students, faculty, donors, and accrediting agencies. The court agreed, concluding that intervention at this stage would disserve the public interest in stable higher education leadership.
For now, the ruling keeps FMU’s current leadership intact: Weatherington as Board Chair and McCormick as the university’s president. The larger case continues, but Dumas’s emergency bid to block his colleagues has been firmly denied.
Sidebar timeline
Timeline: Florida Memorial University Board Dispute
- May 9, 2025 – Dr. Brandon K. Dumas claims he was duly elected Chair of FMU’s Board of Trustees during a board meeting.
- August 11, 2025 – Court schedules a special hearing on Dumas’s emergency motion, but defendants were not properly served, and no action was taken.
- August 20, 2025 – Dumas files an Amended Emergency Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order.
- August 22, 2025 – Dumas files a Second Amended Emergency Motion, again seeking immediate relief.
- August 29, 2025 – Court holds a hearing on the Second Amended Emergency Motion.
- September 5, 2025 – Judge Javier A. Enriquez denies Dumas’s emergency request, finding no irreparable harm and no substantial likelihood of success.
- September 2025 – Evidence confirms Walter Weatherington as Board Chair and Mr. McCormick as FMU’s official President, keeping current leadership in place.
