Closure

Well it has been quite some time since I've updated my blog.  Lots of things have happened both personally and professionally to cause me to be delayed in updating this blog.  In an attempt to update what has happened over the last year I will try to methodically go through as much as I can recall with as much detail that I see fit to share.

My recollections may be a bit foggy because so much has happened and it's hard to bring it all together.  I'm sure most can relate.

Last spring after much communications with ASIJ and the Japan Times, a group of women, thirteen to be exact, hired the law firm of O'Donnell Clark and Crew (now Crew Janci) out of Portland, Oregon.  These incredibly competent and compassionate lawyers agreed to take our case without really knowing much about Japanese law and our case.   They were willing to take a risk on us.  And that they did.

In September, 2014, twelve of us traveled to Portland (the thirteenth was unable to join us) and we shared our stories with attorneys from Ropes and Gray (the firm ASIJ hired to conduct an "independent investigation" of the 50 year sexual abuse case beginning in the 1960's and finally acknowledged by the school.)  ASIJ announced that they hired Ropes and Gray to conduct the "independent" investigation during the spring of 2014.  The problem with the "independent" investigation was that Ropes and Gray never contacted anyone. They waited for students, faculty members and administrators to contact them.  There was never anything "independent" about the investigation.  It was highly biased and if I were to hire a firm to represent me, it surely wouldn't be Ropes and Gray. Their competency is questionable.

After a year long battle with the board with some unbelievable things that happened (which I hope to come back and share later) we finally got some closure.

http://asijsurvivors.org

I will attempt to come back and flesh this out at a later date but long story condensed, we finally settled with the school for an undisclosed amount.  During 2014 and subsequently in 2015, the ASIJ board split and my understanding is that one side out ruled the other, upset the apple cart and basically fired those who were in opposition to us.

We found the new board to be very compassionate and willing to listen.  Three representatives from the new board traveled to Portland and listened to our stories.  We then spent a week in negotiations with the incredible mediator Paul Finn.

http://asijsurvivors.org/about/

You can read all about the outcome on the above linked site.