David Boren

[OKCretro]

interesting read

https://nondoc.com/2019/03/26/ou-gra...20Tripp%20Hall

[FighttheGoodFight]

OU's Statement:

“In November 2018, OU received a report of alleged sexual misconduct. The report triggered an immediate external investigation by the university. The goal of this investigation since the beginning has been to proceed with the highest degrees of professionalism, confidentiality and sincere concern for all parties involved particularly potential victims. This is our duty. While individuals may share their own personal accounting, it is critical that the university proceed deliberately, objectively and with respect for all the individuals involved. The investigation is not complete and comment on specifics at this time would be inappropriate.”

[David]

Welp, we now have the allegations and they do seem pretty credible. Now the wait to see what the investigations result in.

[catch22]

Yikes.

[Pete]

Since the allegations we know about happened some time ago, I wonder what prompted someone to file the complaint last November.

Boren's last day as president was in August 2018.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Norman Police state this was out of their jurisdiction.

"Investigators are working to ensure this information is provided to the proper authorities,"

[OKC Guy]

Welp, we now have the allegations and they do seem pretty credible. Now the wait to see what the investigations result in.

I seem to recall rape allegations against OU RB Rodney Anderson with some rush to judgement done.. Lets wait for facts to come out this time around is what I would ask from folks.

[BoulderSooner]

Norman Police state this was out of their jurisdiction.

"Investigators are working to ensure this information is provided to the proper authorities,"

aligations happened in houston i believe

[Rover]

Since the allegations we know about happened some time ago, I wonder what prompted someone to file the complaint last November.

Boren's last day as president was in August 2018.

And, didn't the complainant ask for money from Boren before actually filing a complaint?

There seems to be more to this story. Let's see.

[Midtowner]

One could only speculate, but it would seem the current environment might encourage people to come forward with potentially damaging information re Boren. It's hard to imagine this is all unrelated.

[Midtowner]

Norman Police state this was out of their jurisdiction.

"Investigators are working to ensure this information is provided to the proper authorities,"

The University hired an outside law firm to conduct an investigation. Ordinarily something like this would be handled internally by the Title IX office. It seems like an enormous waste of resources to me unless this will be used as a pretext to go after Boren's retirement, which should be some ungodly monthly check anyhow considering all of the retirement incomes he's collected from his days in elected office.

[Pete]

And, didn't the complainant ask for money from Boren before actually filing a complaint?

There seems to be more to this story. Let's see.

It's unclear if Eddy (who admitted to asking Boren for money) is the same person that filed the complaint in November that sparked the investigation.

The article just said "teacher's assistant" but Boren had several over the years.

I can't figure out if Eddy was the one who filed.


My impression is that it was someone else because Eddy admitted that he gave a written letter to Boren's attorney stating that Boren had done nothing wrong. Then, he said, he then tried to extort money from Boren which obviously didn't work, and only then changed his story with he shared with NonDoc and then went back and told authorities.

BUT, it could have been Eddy who filed the report and then tried to extort Boren and only after that failed did he come out with this story and change what he had previously said in a signed statment. That statement was only a couple of weeks ago.

[Rover]

Eddy's lawyer isn't Avenatti is it?

[Pete]

This whole article is confusing, so I went back and re-read it. Here is my best shot at a timeline pertaining to Eddy.


2010 - alleged incident in Houston with Boren and Tripp Hall
2111 - at least 2 arrests, goes into rehab
2111 - exits hospital, Boren allegedly contacts him
2111/12 - still working for Boren, alleges more unwanted touching and advances
August 2018 - Boren's presidency ends
Late 2018 / early 2019 - OU hires Jones Day law firm to investigate Boren; it's not clear what prompted it but the article mentions someone filed a Title IX complaint who had previously spoken to Eddy about the Houston trip.
March 14: Eddy gives Boren's attorney a letter saying the allegations about Boren attributed to him were untrue
March 17: Eddy calls Boren in an attempt to extort money
Today: Story comes out in NonDoc with Eddy's allegations

[CloudDeckMedia]

The University hired an outside law firm to conduct an investigation. Ordinarily something like this would be handled internally by the Title IX office. It seems like an enormous waste of resources to me unless this will be used as a pretext to go after Boren's retirement, which should be some ungodly monthly check anyhow considering all of the retirement incomes he's collected from his days in elected office.

Due to the serious allegations, the prominence of the accused and possible accusations of an improper internal investigation, I understand why OU brought in outside counsel. Now - have the accused filed police reports in the correct jurisdiction where the alleged crime(s) occurred?

[catch22]

Pete (I’m not poking the bear or ruffling feathers, genuinely curious), are you implying that his allegations are potentially untrue, or at the least distorted truth, in order to secure a “shutup” payoff?

[baralheia]

Hold up, it's Jess Eddy making the accusation? I'm immediately suspect. I remember when he ran for office in my house district (HD92) in 2016 and he was an absolute rabble rouser... Dude even tried to campaign by interrupting neighborhood association meetings. Not going to lie, my opinion of the guy is pretty low; based on how he conducted himself in 2016, he seems like someone who would do anything for the attention. Mind you, this is a gut feeling and only based on my observations of his campaign - but still.

That said, the allegations he has made are very serious, and I truly hope there is a full, fair, and proper investigation. Rabble rouser or not, if Jess truly was harrassed in this manner by Boren, that's totally unacceptable. I just can't deny that I have reservations about his claims.

[Pete]

Pete (I’m not poking the bear or ruffling feathers, genuinely curious), are you implying that his allegations are potentially untrue, or at the least distorted truth, in order to secure a “shutup” payoff?

No, I'm just trying to understand what happened and when.

I'd also love to know who submitted the Title IX complaint, as it wasn't Eddy himself.

[hoya]

I'll say the same thing with Boren that I said about Kavanaugh. The accuser has undermined his own allegations through some aspects of his behavior. In Kavanaugh's case, it was Blasey Ford waiting 30+ years to come forward (and she chose quite the moment to do it). In Boren's case, this guy sends a letter stating it was all a lie and then tries to extort money.

I'm not going to make any judgment about the truth (or untruth) of either claim. I'm just saying that the accuser here has made it impossible for me to give his accusations any real credibility. Could it have happened? Sure. But without corroboration, I can't give it any weight.

[Jersey Boss]

Investigative reporting by its nature ruffles feathers and pokes the bear. Not enough poking in the daily okc rag.

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Talk about opening up a can of worms. These kind of things go way back with David Boren. A couple of books call out Boren for harassment of young male assistants and even pages while in DC. As for who to trust, are we expected to trust someone who put their hand on a Bible in a U.S. Senate race and swore he was not a homosexual? Back then it was the kiss of death in Oklahoma. But, he's carried the charade and the lie for years. Too many people know he's homosexual. Which is fine! Just admit it, don't swear you are not, and be honest. It's hard to trust him now.

[Pete]

^

That bible thing was in 1978 and after his opponent publically stated Boren was gay.

Things were very, very different in 1978, especially in Oklahoma and especially around this issue. So much so, that these types of accusaions were enough to ruin someone's life, even if they weren't a politician.

I knew a lot of people who were deeply in the closet at that time, and none were public figures. Couldn't even be honest with themselves, let alone others. And frankly, that is more a commentary on the culture at the time.

It's entirely possible Boren didn't believe he was gay when he made that pronouncement and we still don't know if he is or isn't.


But who cares if he's gay, bi or otherwise? Sexual harassment is the issue. The fact that it keeps being brought up that he may be gay or have those tendancies tells me that many still view that as some sort of huge character flaw in itself.

And even if you take the leap and believe Boren completely lied about his sexuality, do the same people that have a big issue with that -- something that happened over 40 years ago -- have the same condemnation for politicians and public figures that openly and frequently lie about things that actually matter?

[dankrutka]

^But who cares if he's gay, bi or otherwise? Sexual harassment is the issue. The fact that it keeps being brought up that he may be gay or have those tendancies tells me that many still view that as some sort of huge character flaw in itself.

Bingo. If Boren sexually harassed someone then that is the only important thing. Lying about being gay in a homophobic society is a means to survive, which is why it's important to respect people's choices to share their sexual orientation on their own terms. Of course, there's still a lot of homophobia in Oklahoma and it's bigoted to connect sexual orientation to sexual assault unless you're also pointing out the heterosexuality of a man who sexually assaults a young woman.

[Midtowner]

Due to the serious allegations, the prominence of the accused and possible accusations of an improper internal investigation, I understand why OU brought in outside counsel. Now - have the accused filed police reports in the correct jurisdiction where the alleged crime(s) occurred?

For civil liability purposes, any action against OU would be barred by the Statute of Limitations. I think the statute on a federal civil rights case is 2 years and for intentional torts, the statute is 1 year. I'm struggling with understanding what possible worst case scenario the University would be justified in spending public money to investigate possible bad acts for which there is no remaining remedy for the alleged victim. I'm coming up empty.


There's a reason, I think, that the Title IX office didn't investigate--there's nothing to investigate when there's a years old allegation of a former student against a former head of the University. Title IX investigations are mostly about providing education and safety. They don't send anyone to jail, they don't report to law enforcement, they can expel students, but again, no party had any connection to the University when this was apparently submitted last year.

[Pete]

^

There may be issues since Boren is still employed by the university. particularly if they have reason to believe there have been other incidences, perhaps more recently.