A deal that was supposed to end a long-running lawsuit against SMU – and smooth the path for George W. Bush's presidential library – has fallen apart amid charges that both sides broke the terms of a confidential agreement.

Last month, Southern Methodist University and two former condominium owners announced that they had settled the bitter four-year fight over who is the rightful owner of land now slated for the grounds of the Bush library.

The lawyers hailed the deal on the basis of an e-mail that contained four bullet points, according to filings in the case and interviews with attorneys on both sides. But now, what those bullet points said – or did not say – is in dispute, with both sides pointing fingers.