This is the original request for reimbursement for those who gave to a legal defense fund for Children's Theatre staff.

---- Original Message -----
From: "Mac Clayton"
To: "Pat Burt"
Cc: "john barton" , pdrekmeier@earthlink.net, "Sid Espinosa" , "yoriko kishimoto" , "jack morton" , "greg schmid" , "yiaway yeh" , citymgr@cityofpaloalto.org, "klein larry"
Sent: Sunday, August 2, 2009 1:38:47 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Children's Theatre Legal Defense Fund

Pat,

Following up our phone conversation of this morning, I thought it might be helpful to you and your fellow council members and Mr. Keene to have more information about the Children's Theatre Legal Defense Fund (the "Fund"). As I explained on the telephone, it is the founders of the Fund who have requested the reimbursement on behalf of Fund donors that you will be considering tomorrow night, not the Friends of the Children's Theatre.

The Fund was incorporated in February of 2008 for the sole purpose of raising money to pay legal fees for Pat Briggs, Alison Williams and Rich Curtis. A copy of our initial press release is attached to this email. The founders of the Fund were Suzie Stewart, Beth Broderson and me. Although all three of us have been on the board of the Friends of the Children's Theatre in the past, none of us was serving in that capacity when the Fund was formed, and the Fund had no formal affiliation with the Friends.

As we said in our letter requesting reimbursement, donations to the Fund came from 147 individuals and totaled $45,000, all of which went to pay legal fees for Pat, Alison and Rich. We raised enough money to pay all of Alison's and Rich's legal fees, but not all of Pat's. I think she ended up having to pay about $50,000 out of her own pocket, and as I said in an earlier email to you all, I think she should be reimbursed for that, although as founders of the Fund our request only relates to the $45,000 from our contributors.

As we said in our letter, we have complete financial records for the Fund, including copies of all donation checks, copies of all legal bills paid, etc. We would be happy to make those available to the city at any time, requesting only that donor confidentiality be maintained.

We have a list of donor names and addresses and amounts donated that we could give the city if it would like to mail the checks directly.

I won't repeat the basis for our request, except to say again that in view of the unfortunate and serious lapses in the way this case was handled, it seems to us that the city will want to do all it can to see that the innocent parties and those who rose to their defense are not left with financial damage.

Best wishes.

Mac Clayton

Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.