DFM was sued by the ADA after the Mississippi group voted to disaffiliate with ADA following a decision to disband the state diabetes corporations in favor of one national corporation. The money that has been raised by Mississippi volunteers can continue to service Mississippians instead of people in other states. DFM attorney Alan Perry said U.S. District Court Judge Tom Lee ruled that the contract between DFM and the ADA clearly stated that the assets belong to the local corporation. I think the main thing is it didn t make sense to export the money people gave in Mississippi out of state, Perry said. We need it here.
People here are generous, but the needs here are big.
Mississippi has the lowest per capita income in the country and the highest rate of diabetes. Fortune said the ADA merger was meant to shore up some chapters around the country that were struggling. But she contended this penalized the DFM, which has been fiscally responsible. We didn t feel giving up the Mississippi corporate status, sending any money we subsequently raised out of state and dissolving our board of directors would serve Mississippians with diabetes, Fortune said. We just feel like we want local control.