Attorney: Former OU president Boren met with investigators
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The attorney for former University of Oklahoma President David Boren says Boren met with investigators for the university who are looking into allegations that he sexually harassed male subordinates.
Attorney Clark Brewster told The Oklahoman that Boren met Friday for two hours with investigators and answered all of their questions, though Brewster declined to discuss the specifics of what was asked.
"The questions covered, essentially, the full period of his presidency. But there was nothing he avoided in any way," Brewster said.
"Full response. Candid exchange. No limitations," he added.
Boren, 77, has denied wrongdoing. He retired last year after 24 years as president of the school in Norman. Before that, he served as Oklahoma's governor and as one of its senators.
OU regents said in a statement Friday that they will meet privately with investigators on Tuesday, but that no action will be taken at that time.
"The matter will then proceed in accordance with the university's publicly available grievance procedures," the statement said. "Out of respect for those individuals who have come forward as well as all others involved, the regents feel this investigation was the only appropriate course of action under the law and given our responsibility to the university and our state."
The university in March acknowledged an ongoing investigation into a report of sexual misconduct after the online news site NonDoc first reported the allegations by former OU student and Boren teaching aide Jess Eddy.
Eddy told The Associated Press that he first denied the allegations to investigators for the Jones Day law firm during a meeting in February and provided a signed statement to Brewster on March 14 again denying the claims. But he said he later decided to publicly acknowledge that the allegations were true after he "started to realize the implications of what I was doing by concealing my truth."
"Thinking that there might be others like me began to just haunt me," he said.
Eddy also acknowledged calling Boren personally and asking for financial compensation after The Oklahoman first reported that Boren was being investigated.
"I felt like a great wrong had been done to me, and I was looking for the path of least resistance out and some relief," Eddy said.
Eddy said met with Jones Day investigators again in late March and provided a detailed account of his allegations against Boren, which he said took place in Boren's hotel room during a weekend fundraising-and-recruiting trip to Houston.
