The Chicago Blackhawks have reached a settlement with former first-round draft pick Kyle Beach over a lawsuit stemming from the organization's handling of Beach's being sexually abused at the hands of former video coach Brad Aldrich. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, lawyers for the Blackhawks and Beach's lawyer reached a confidential out-of-court financial settlement during a third-party mediation session on Wednesday.
The resolution comes nearly two months after Beach, who played on the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup-winning team, revealed himself to be "John Doe 1" from a lawsuit accusing Aldrich of sexual assault. It also comes two months after team CEO Danny Wirtz instructed the team's lawyers to seek a settlement. The mediation was arranged several weeks ago after representatives for Beach were denied a motion to progress the lawsuit to the discovery phase.
"The Blackhawks hope that this resolution will bring some measure of peace and closure for Mr. Beach," read a joint statement by the Blackhawks and Susan Loggans, the lawyer for Beach. "As for the Blackhawks organization, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure that, going forward, this team will be a beacon for professionalism, respect and integrity in our community.
"We remain grateful for the trust and support of the Blackhawks community, and we promise to continue working every day to earn and maintain that trust."
The lawsuit filed against the Blackhawks claimed that in May of 2010, Aldrich had forced himself on Beach by threatening him with physical violence before forcibly touching him and committing "lewd and lascivious" non-consensual sexual acts. The lawsuit alleged that team executives knowingly covered up Aldrich's crimes, and resolved the matter by giving Aldrich the option to resign before allowing him to participate in postseason celebrations.
The settlement brings a resolution to the scandal surrounding the Blackhawks' 2010 team, which has ended up becoming a blight on the franchise and its history. The lawsuit and its allegations forced the resignation of general manager Stan Bowman as well as fellow executive Al MacIsaac.
With Beach's matter resolved, the Blackhawks are scheduled to hold another mediation session with "John Doe 2" on December 20. In another lawsuit, "John Doe 2" -- who claimed he was sexually assaulted by Aldrich in 2013 -- alleged that the Blackhawks had helped Aldrich get a coaching job at a Michigan high school.
Aldrich confessed to sexually assaulting both Beach and John Doe 2, for which he served nine months in prison. He has also been accused of sexually assaulting two men while working as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) University.
