Faculty members at Antioch College have sued the Board of Trustees of Antioch University — the six-campus system that includes the college — in an effort to block the planned shuttering of the college. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in an Ohio court by 20 Antioch faculty members, is accompanied by a request for an injunction that, if granted by the court, would bar the board from closing the college while the lawsuit proceeds.

The lawsuit argues that the trustees breached their contractual responsibilities by declaring financial exigency and suspending operations on the campus, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, when “less-drastic means” were available to fix the college’s money problems.

The suit also alleges that the trustees failed to properly consult with the faculty and made a serious of bad decisions that led to dwindling enrollment and revenue. The court should prevent the closure of the college, scheduled for July 2008, as well as the planned firing of professors and the possible selloff of assets, such as historic buildings, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit follows a complaint last week by the American Association of University Professors about the decision to close, as well as efforts by alumni and other supporters of the college to overhaul Antioch’s governance as a means of saving the campus. —Paul Fain