The Chicago Blackhawks, the subject of a lawsuit filed by an alleged victim of their former video teacher Brad Aldrich, have asked the Cook County court to dismiss the case.
According to TSN journalist Rick Westhead on Friday, the Illinois organization believes the applicant took too long to begin the process. The same source reported in early November that the complainant had submitted his documents to the court a few days earlier in connection with a case from the 2009-2010 season. Like his then-teammate Kyle Beach, the person identified as “John Doe” claims to have been sexually assaulted by Aldrich. He is seeking more than $300,000 in compensation from the Hawks, claiming they were negligent towards him in hiring the coach in question.
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However, according to Westhead, this second potential victim would have asked the mental skills instructor, Jim Gary, for help regarding Aldrich: his interlocutor would have told him to simply move on to another part of his life. In this context, the Hawks believe that these statements, while inappropriate, do not constitute an example of highly reprehensible behavior.
John Doe's attorneys have until February 14 to respond to the opposing party's request. Then the Hawks have the right to respond until March 6th. If no agreement is reached, a judge will hold a meeting on March 13 to decide what to do next.