Additional Comments to Sue Scheff's Blog: Susan Schacherer
After reading Mr. Ferguson's e-mail to Ethan I have these comments.
It seems irrelevant to me how many kids returned home "better off than when they arrived" at the Whitmore. That does not erase what happened to the kids that were cheated, abused and humiliated at the hand of Cheryl Sudweeks. It does not change it, does not justify it, does not make okay -- and does not make it unimportant.
The Whitmore was inspected and found to be in violation of fire codes. There was rodent feces found all over the mansion, including the kitchen. I wonder if those and other conditions would have been acceptable to Mr. Ferguson if his children had been living there.
The abuse allegations WERE verified by MORE than one witness, including defense witnesses. Mr. Ferguson must have had a memory lapse.
As far as the expenses incurred by the lawsuit, were the Sudweeks not represented by their insurance company lawyers? Those lawyers paid by the insurance company? Isn't that one reason the Sudweeks paid those premiums?
As for the plaintiffs, our expenses, again, did not exceed the settlement amount, not by a long shot. That is a false statement by Mr. Ferguson.
In my opinion, the only crushing thing affecting the Sudweeks is that they have not been able to rake in close to $2 million a year in the last four years from unsuspecting, desperate parents. And if they had truly wanted to protect their family they wouldn't have USED them in their deception known as the "Whitmore Academy," now, would they?
There is something I also find very curious -- just how long is a "lifetime of work"? The Sudweeks are both in their fifties -- they embarked in the "troubled teen" business around the year 2000. Their business shut down in 2005 -- hmmmmm.
And, Mr. Ferguson, I don't hold a grudge, but I do believe that I know the difference between right and wrong, and that is the motivation behind my actions. So please don't dismiss any of the plaintiffs in this case as people holding a "grudge," and that being the reason for the lawsuit. You really don't know any of us.
Ethan's article -- it did not appear to me that he did anything but tell the truth.
"And the best news is a major Hollywood Producer is interested in bringing this story to the big screen, as well as a book that will be released by a major publisher. It is nice to know when bad things happen to good people, there are those that will use their ability to bring the real story to the surface."
Lady, you are a joke. Your children are probably very embarrassed. Do they acknowledge you in public?