Page 35 of Precise Justice

“My name is Marc Kadella and with me is Madeline Rivers. Ms. Rivers is a private investigator who worked with me. She interviewed a number of witnesses…”

“In fairness,” the woman seated to the right of the chairperson interrupted Marc, “this is probably a waste of everyone’s time.”

Her name plate identified her as a Professor Ingrid Sorensen. Marc, having been given the list of the committee members, expected this from her. She taught Women’s Studies and her life partner was another woman social justice professor.

“Ingrid, let the man speak,” the man next to her said. He was Professor Alan Helfinger, an engineering teacher.

Marc held up a short stack of documents, six copies, stapled together. “I have something for each of you. Briefly, they are signed witness statements. Ms. Rivers obtained these statements from other young women and two male students.”

“Totally irrelevant,” the chairperson, Professor Helen Thompson quickly said.

“You may think so, but the reason we are here is so I can give you a chance to fix this outside of a courtroom,” Marc said.

“Students sign a waiver that gives us full authority to administer these disputes. We will not be in court,” Thompson said.

Smothering his growing anger at the arrogance of this group of amateurs, Marc said, “Trust me. I’ll find a way to get us into a court and it will be a federal court. Besides, those waivers are probably useless since the students have no choice but to sign them if they want to go to school here. A waste of paper.”

“I recommend we hear what Mr. Kadella has to say,” the committee lawyer said.

Marc stood then walked up to the committee table. As he did so, the third woman member, Assistant Professor Karen Olds, said, “You should ask permission to…”

Marc glared at her and shut her up in mid-sentence.

“I guess it’s okay,” she meekly said.

Marc handed out a set of the papers to each then went back to his table.

“Your complainant is a, well, I’m trying to find a polite way of saying this,” Marc said. “Your complainant is a, well…” he paused.

“A slut,” Maddy said.

“That is totally irrelevant,” the chairperson, Professor Thompson, although shocked and offended, replied.

“She told two of her friends, their statements are signed and you have copies,” Maddy said, “that she, Kendra Barker told them she was going to and I quote, fuck Branson Fellows so she could claim rape, sue him and make a bundle of money. I have it recorded.”

“Oops,” the fifth member, a younger man, Professor Kyle Johnson said. Johnson was from the business school.

“Isn’t that hearsay?” Ingrid Sorenson asked.

“Statement against interest,” the lawyer said.

“We’re not in a courtroom,” Sorenson replied, although by now she was not as certain as she at first seemed.

“So what?” Marc asked. “If you had done your job, conducted an open-minded, legitimate investigation, we wouldn’t be here today.

“Since you have decided to toss aside hundreds of years of jurisprudence because of your political correctness, here we are.”

“I resent…” Sorenson started to say.

“Time to be quiet,” Marc said, “You’re attitude of guilty with no chance to prove innocence is about to cost you.

“Maddy, would you hand these out, please?” Marc asked, handing her several copies of a single sheet of paper.

“Ms. Rivers is giving each of you a copy of a press release. I’m going to send it to a nasty reporter at the Star Tribune, Philo Anson. I know Philo. He loves this stuff.

“A cash settlement,” Chairperson Thompson said when she saw it on the press release. “Who said anything about…”

“I’m getting there,” Marc said.

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