Boat story full of holes

Apparently, The Spokesman-Review won’t let facts get in the way of a sensational tale. Your front-page story March 28 featured a local businessman who claimed he had been treated unfairly by the courts and Gonzaga Law School students. Your reporter was in such a rush to paint one of this community’s best legal resources for low-income and underrepresented clients as the villain, he failed to even contact the plaintiff in this suit.

Had he done so, he would have found a 62-year-old unemployed, disabled veteran with a monthly income of $614, whose wife was willing to use her Social Security settlement to purchase him a reliable boat so he could go fishing – one of the few recreational activities he can still enjoy.

This case was about the defendant’s refusal to take the legal system seriously. The plaintiff’s perspective about being lied to by the defendant, the reason he bought the boat and the evidence supporting his claim of fraud were never presented in your sensationalized story.

Gonzaga Law students provide public service through University Legal Assistance in the belief that inability to pay for legal services shouldn’t block people from being able to access justice.

Spokesman readers deserve better reporting.

George Critchlow

Spokane