We had never heard about the incident either. I checked the archives, I checked the police log and the fire log for that date. There was a medical call to the neighborhood, but it was nothing that surfaced to us at the time or any time afterward. After hearing about the ST story, I looked for the case and downloaded the documents. It was filed last November, about four months before the story. I didn’t see any obvious reason it came to their attention unless they were contacted by the family. Like all lawsuits, it makes accusations, and the subjects of the lawsuits file documents denying them – lawsuits are a little dicier to report on than criminal charges, because anyone can sue you for anything, whether or not there’s evidence. The Times reporter attempted to relate the case in the context of societal attitudes rather than just telling the story, but nonetheless it was clearly a ton of work over the course of weeks or maybe even months, including public-disclosure requests to get police reports (which generally take months). Best I can do is watch the case and cover the trial if it’s not settled first; I’ll be checking the file periodically. – TR
