I think I have discovered the ultimate “only in Marin” lawsuit

Can you imagine a lawsuit such as this one taking place anywhere other than Marin County:

Two institutes that promote human consciousness research and collective cultural transformation are headed to Marin Superior Court for collaborative conflict resolution.

The Institute of Imaginal Studies, a Petaluma-based organization that does business as Meridian University, has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against The Institute of Noetic Sciences, which operates a 200-acre retreat center north of Novato. The lawsuit boils down to a money dispute dating to 2006.

The Imaginal institute alleges that the Noetic center, in the throes of a “difficult financial situation,” was looking to sell an interest in its bucolic EarthRise retreat at 101 San Antonio Road. The Imaginal institute expressed interest, and negotiations between the two parties in 2006 and 2007 resulted in a tentative agreement for Imaginal to buy a one-third stake, according to the lawsuit.

The deal called for the parties to “develop a transformative learning center for two or more equity partners in the fields of spirituality, science, ecology, education, transformational psychology and socially responsible business,” and to “explore mission synergies and opportunities for collaboration in research, education and media.”

The tentative plan envisioned a jointly operated, 15,000-square-foot conference center with up to 120 beds, offices and meeting rooms. The project was expected to cost more than $3 million.

All did not go as planned, and the parties are now headed to court. You can read the rest here.

As for me, my lawyer brain is still trying to wrestle with the wonders of writing a contract that calls for developing “a transformative learning center for two or more equity partners in the fields of spirituality, science, ecology, education, transformational psychology and socially responsible business,” and to “explore mission synergies and opportunities for collaboration in research, education and media.”