Garth Brooks vs. the Hospital

There’s an uneasy feeling on Garth Brooks Boulevard. The main street of Yukon, Oklahoma, renamed in 1992 in honor of the country music star and Yukon native, is also home to a local hospital that’s become an unlikely foe to the generally well-liked and philanthropic Brooks. The conflict between the two is driving a wedge into the hearts of locals – torn between the music star they’re so proud to be associated with and the hospital that delivers their babies and heals their wounds.

In 2005, Brooks donated $500,000 to Integris Canadian Valley Hospital to help build a women’s health center, a project he’d hoped to honor his late mother. The hospital never went forward with the plan, so Brooks sued in 2009. Last week a jury sided with Brooks, awarding him his $500,000 donation, as well as another $500,000 in damages.