In the letter that follows, Larry Hardoon forwarded a copy of the letter I sent him throwing in the towel because he thought Judith Malone should see it.
March 4, 1998
Dear Ms. Malone:
My client has authorized, at my suggestion, the release to you of his December 22, 1997 letter to me. He feels compelled to expand his investigation in order to secure the corroboration that he knows exists. Sending you his letter, I thought, was the best way to communicate his feelings regarding this matter and its handling.
My position, which thus far your client has rejected, is that forcing my client to continue on with his investigative efforts, will be more costly to both sides than seeking an early resolution. My client was prepared to resolve this matter confidentially for a reasonable sum of money and devote himself to his recovery process. He was prepared to convince your client of the authenticity of his allegations and his massive suffering, even if the identity of the perpetrators is still, apparently, unclear at this time. Whoever they were, the injury was inflicted while he was a camper under the care and supervision of the Charlestown Boys Club. As you must know, if my client succeeds in his efforts to locate a corroborating witness, the public relations fallout and settlement cost to the Boys & Girls Club will be substantially greater than the options available at this time. In the meantime, my client’s recovery process is impeded and his emotional and psychological suffering is being exacerbated.
My client believes that further dealings with the Club at this time would be futile based on your responses thus far. I am writing this letter to verify that the Boys & Girls Club is, indeed, choosing to force this matter to proceed in this adversarial way with full knowledge that their shortsightedness, in my opinion, may prove far more costly in the long run.
Very truly yours,
[signed]
Laurence E. Hardoon
LEH/js
Enc.
cc: James Chester
Judith Malone responded by telephone to Larry Hardoon and said that it was not her intent “to slam the door on him.” She had mismanaged the case, and it was precisely at that moment when she read my forwarded letter to Larry Hardoon that she realized it. This was a turning point that she had brought about, and none of us would succeed in overcoming it.