L. Rush Hunt
ATTORNEY AT LAW
Madisonville, Kentucky
August 23, 2002
Mr. Lee Stockwell
Draffenville Body of Elders
Draffenville Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses
P.O. 778
Benton, KY 42025
Dear Mr. Stockwell:
I represent Bill Bowen who has been disfellowshipped from the DraffenvilIe Jehovah's Witness congregation. On behalf of Mr. Bowen I request a retraction of your comments to the Paducah Sun as published in the Friday, August 16, 2002 edition. You specifically said Bill's allegations of local child molestation were groundless and called Bill devious. As you know it was because of child molestation in your local congregation that Bill discovered the inadequate handling of child molestation by all Jehovah's Witness congregations.
It is one thing to question whether Bill's allegations of molestation in other congregations are accurate--a fact which you have no way of knowing the truth or falseness of----but to say an allegation of local child molestation is groundless is simply untrue. To defame Bill by calling him devious when he reports an incident that is in fact true is defamation of character. Bill can certainly name the man who was responsible and what he did. What Bill discovered came from church records which you have access to, unless they have been destroyed since Bill went public with this matter.
I suggest you first seek advice of legal counsel prior to responding to my letter. But after doing so I expect an appropriate retraction to be made by you on behalf of the church to both the Paducah Sun and to Mr. Bowen.
Sincerely,
L. Rush Hunt
Edited by - silentlambs on 24 August 2002 1:49:56