Attorneys For Blackhawks, Former Player Far Off In Settlement

CHICAGO — Lawyers representing the Chicago Blackhawks and the attorney for former prospect Kyle Beach have “much different views” of what constitutes a fair financial settlement for Beach, who was reportedly sexually assaulted by a former team video coach during the Hawk's Stanley Cup championship run in 2010.

The Blackhawks sent letters to Susan Loggans, the attorney for Beach on Thursday, pushing for a mediator to try to reach a settlement between the two siders without further litigation. The letter, obtained by Patch on Friday, stated that the Blackhawks want to be a “constructive part” of Beach’s healing process and express regret for the harm the first-round draft pick has suffered.

However, Beach's attorney is not convinced that's what the Blackhawks are committed to doing.

The letter states that Loggans asked the Blackhawks’ legal team if they had plans to renew their motion to have the case dismissed. The team’s lawyers stated that the court has given them until Nov. 30 to answer or otherwise plead.

“Our strong preference would be to focus on the mediation process rather than litigation,” the letter states.

The Blackhawks are being sued by Beach, who recently identified himself as “John Doe” from a lawsuit that was filed earlier this year. The team is also being sued by a Michigan man who said he was also sexually assaulted by former Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich after he resigned from his position with the team in 2010. Aldrich was convicted of sexual assault and spent time in prison on the charges and is now registered as a sex offender in Michigan.

Beach contends that he was sexually assaulted by Aldrich in 2010 and then was then threatened with the possibility of having his NHL career ruined by Aldrich if he went forward with his claims. A report by Chicago law firm Jenner and Block detailing its independent investigation of the matter found that team officials – including former general Manager Stan Bowman, team President John McDonough and former coach Joel Quenneville, were all made aware of the allegations and failed to do anything for three weeks.

Bowman resigned as general manager immediately following the release of the report and Quenneville stepped down as coach of the Florida Panthers in the days following.

Beach, who was 21 at the time the reported abuse, sued the team earlier this year and meetings took place starting Nov. 2 to begin settlement negotiations. However, the Blackhawks’ legal team characterized Loggans’ request for financial settlement as an “extraordinary initial monetary demand”, which the attorneys said reflects that the two parties have “much different views” of what constitutes a fair settlement,” the letter said.

The two sides met twice earlier this month and the Blackhawks offered to pay for counseling for both Beach and the former high school hockey player now suing the team.

The Blackhawks have committed to paying for the mediation and to have Hawks Chairman and owner Rocky Wirtz and CEO Danny Wirtz at the mediation hearings, the letter said. The team acknowledges the franchise’s failure to act promptly, which was outlined the 107-page Jenner and Block report that was released last month.

Lawyers for the Blackhawks wrote that the team’s “moral inclination” is to settle the matter on fair terms, the letter said.

However, Loggans told the Chicago Tribune on Thursday that the Blackhawks are not moving in a direction that indicates they are serious about settling things with her client. Loggans did not immediately return an email seeking to Patch on Friday.

“They’re just doing the exact same thing that they always do, which is nothing," Loggans told the Tribune. “I find it absolutely astounding that they’re in complete denial about this case ... saying we had an extraordinary demand.

“All I demanded was his past lost earnings and a very reasonable amount for his pain and suffering. I didn’t ask anything for future or pension or lot of different elements. I said to this guy, ‘Really? You didn’t think he’d be seeking compensation for past earnings that he’s lost?’”

The Tribune reported that Loggans commissioned an economic analysis, based on comparable players at the time, and it estimated Beach could have made between $60 million and $100 million had he continued his NHL career.

The Hawks’ legal team said that if a settlement cannot be reached by the Nov. 30 deadline, it will “preserve its rights, which would include advancing its strong legal defenses. In the past, the franchise referred to Beach’s lawsuit as being without merit.

But since the release of the Jenner and Block report, Rocky and Danny Wirtz have expressed a desire to settle the matter in a fair way.