David Boren's Attorney Responds To Accusations

New details are surfacing about the sexual misconduct complaint against Former OU President David Boren and we are also hearing from his attorney.

One of Boren's attorneys, Clark Brewster, says he and Boren were both surprised when an article on Non-Doc came out yesterday saying Boren touched a student inappropriately on several occasions between 2010 and 2012.

In the Non-Doc Article, a former student named Jess Eddy, who was Boren's teaching assistant at the time, says he went on a trip with Boren and other OU administrators to Houston.

In the article, Eddy says Boren touched him inappropriately on several occasions, like the trip to Houston.

In the article with Non-Doc, he says, “I’ve always regarded these experiences as my truth, my story, my suffering and my pain — that it was my right to share it with the people I trusted and keep it from people I didn’t,” Eddy said. “But recently I realized that is no longer OK.”

Eddy told the Non-Doc reporter that he spoke with the Norman Police Department about the incidents he alleges in the article.

The article also includes accounts from some of Eddy’s friends at the time whom he confided in.

Boren's attorney, Clark Brewster, says he has been in contact with the law firm contracted by OU to investigate the claims, Jones Day.

He says at first, he was having trouble getting his hands on the original complaint saying where the incident happened or who was involved.

“We reached out and said anything that we can help you with, please feel free to call us,” said Brewster. “As they interviewed individuals, they wouldn’t tell us what the complaint was, they wouldn’t identify the location of where this conduct may have occurred, or who was involved.”

Then in early February, Brewster says a young man reached out to him saying he had been interviewed by OU’s Lawyers and recorded it.

He says the man sent him a transcript to review, but at the time he didn’t know this was the man-centered around the complaint.

“The questions being asked about what he knew or what he had heard and rumors about whether he had been involved or witnessed, or if he was a victim in any way of President Boren,” said Brewster. “He not only firmly denied but was able to give factual detail about how it could not possibly be true.”

Brewster says shortly after he read the transcript a few weeks ago, Jones Day sent him the original complaint.

“The complaint was a single page, about two paragraphs long and it was one person said that, this person said that, this person said this. It was two reporting of another person’s statement, which is called double hearsay,” said Brewster.

Brewster says as he read through the complaint, it started to sound like Jess Eddy’s story from his transcript, so he asked him if he was the person at the center of the complaint.

“He said yes they are describing me, but it’s just rumors and they are just making it look like I said it,” said Brewster.

Brewster says he then met with Eddy and his attorney in person where they discussed the transcript and provided a signed letter saying the complaint wasn't true.

“The letter refers to the complaint and says none of this is true, incidentally when you look through the transcript interview that he had, he goes into great detail as to how it could not be true. how circumstances were manufactured, or other people that had started rumors that he identified,” said Brewster.

In the Non-Doc Article, Eddy talks about this signed letter saying he was experiencing an emotional crisis when he signed the letter.

Brewster also provided the text message to News on 6 where it shows Jess Eddy sent a digital copy of the transcript.

"I then reached out to Jones Day and I said ‘Listen, if the complaint that’s being investigated is coming from a person who has completely repudiated it's true, how do you continue to investigate this?” said Brewster. “Then last week the young man called President Boren directly and demanded money."

Brewster went into further detail about the transcript saying some of the points covered in the article were even questions asked directly of Eddy during the interview:

• Q: Did you have anything to drink when you were with President Boren?  A: No, not that I remember.

• Q: Was there any advance made towards you while you were alone at any time A: no."

• Did you ever report to the university any problems with President Boren? No, because it never happened

In the article, Eddy even accused former Vice President of University Development Tripp Hall of touching him as well.

“I don’t even know if he was on the trip that they are talking about in Houston,” said Brewster. “I haven’t talked to him about that. but I can’t imagine Mr. Hall doing anything inappropriately.”

Brewster says during the interview they even talked about how President Boren came to know Eddy very well. Brewster says Eddy even talks about a time that he was suicidal and Boren told him the world really needed him.

“He said he touched me in a way that instilled me and made me believe in myself,” said Brewster. “He was a great influence on him and for this kind of thing to be made an accusation is sickening.” 

Brewster says he has grown to admire Boren as he has continued to get to know him better.

“I don’t think there’s probably a person in this state who has done more in its history for the state of Oklahoma,” said Brewster

Brewster says the allegations in the article are very troubling to him and says it's hard to know what the motivation was behind this allegation besides money.

“When someone says something so firmly, so consistently then does an about-face, it’s hard for me to contribute a motive other than the obvious one,” said Brewster.

Brewster says they will continue to reach out to Jones Day and the University and will continue to be transparent.

“I think they will see it for what it is hopefully. I just hope the kind of smear that occurs from a news article like that won’t linger beyond the truth,” said Brewster.

A spokesperson for Jess Eddy tells News on 6, “The decision to report or go public with information regarding sexual misconduct is the prerogative of any victim of sexual abuse. The credibility of Jess’ story is beyond reproach as confirmed by numerous individuals.”