Douglass Legacy Press

The Sworn Testimony

Two days of examination under oath, on the record, subject to cross-examination. Posted here complete and unedited.

In re: Grand Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi
Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County · Orphans’ Court Division
Hearing testimony of July 2 and July 3, 2025 · Two volumes · 508 pages

No summary can substitute for a record — but 508 pages should not be the price of entry, either. Below is a plain map of what the two days covered, witness by witness; then four passages to begin with, quoted exactly; then the complete volumes. This page characterizes nothing. Every subject listed can be read in full at the pages given.

Read for yourself what was said under oath — and compare it with what you have been told.

What the Two Days Covered

Volume I — July 2, 2025

The Grand Agogos (pp. 29–159) was examined on the April 9 meeting itself: who attended, in person and by video (p. 41); the executive session; how the removal motion was introduced; the 8-to-4 vote (p. 47); the two objections raised in the room and their grounds (pp. 47, 84–85); his messages that day asking that any announcement of the vote be delayed (p. 58); his statement to the entire Grand Board that he refused to accept the vote (p. 61); Archon Bradley’s text before the vote stating his vote against removal, the minutes’ notation of his ineligibility, and his attempt to rejoin (pp. 53–55); the vote of the officer who led the investigative subcommittee, and the question of recusal (p. 152); and the April 21 memorandum of the Fraternity’s General Counsel at the time on the number of votes the bylaw requires — and what became of that memorandum (pp. 135–137).
The Grand Grammateus (pp. 159–231) was examined on the April 9 meeting and its minutes, including the count — “The vote was 8 to 4” — and the arithmetic of it (p. 185); on how the interpretation of Bylaw 2, Section 4G was arrived at after the vote (pp. 192–197); on the May 21 meeting: who was present, which two members left before the vote, and the 11-to-0 vote of those remaining (p. 199); and on the circumstances of Archon Bradley’s participation — present at the meeting, not present when the motion was made and the vote was taken, his no vote learned of afterward (pp. 219–221).
The chairman of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee (pp. 231–279) was examined on his appointment to that chair (p. 236), the committee’s composition (p. 241), how the committee came to examine Bylaw 2, Section 4G after the vote, and the advice given to the Grand Board (p. 243).

Volume II — July 3, 2025

The occupant of the chair, called by petitioner’s counsel as an adverse witness (pp. 6–100), was examined on the complaint and investigative process (p. 15); what the investigative committee’s report did and did not recommend — including whether it recommended removal (pp. 24–26); the treatment of Archon Bradley’s vote and whether the votes cast were sufficient (pp. 36–37); what, if anything, anyone said before April 9 about the bylaw being ambiguous (p. 38); and the May 21 meeting (p. 75).
Loren R. Douglass, 51st Grand Sire Archon (pp. 100–229) testified to his account of April 9 — his departure before the vote on an understanding that he would be called back, the call that never came (pp. 176–181), and how he learned of the count (pp. 121–122); the notice of suspension, its stated grounds, and its announcement to the full membership (pp. 133–135); what was and was not provided to him before the vote — the committee’s report, a formal hearing, and his own recorded interview (pp. 140–142); and his answers to the charges — and was cross-examined by the institution’s counsel (pp. 148–201).
Places to Begin
The Grand Agogos · Vol. I, p. 47, lines 10–21

“We objected to the 8-to-4 vote to remove Loren Douglass. … Because I wasn’t certain at the time that they had reached the threshold that’s required by our law.”

The vote count — eight to four — is in the sworn record. So are two objections raised in the room that day: one to the voting threshold, one to the time given to review the charges (p. 47, lines 10–13; pp. 84–85).

The Grand Agogos · Vol. I, pp. 135–137

The Fraternity’s own General Counsel at the time put his assessment in writing to the Grand Board: “a fixed minimum of ten votes are required to remove a grand officer” (p. 136, lines 4–6). Asked what happened after that opinion was circulated to the Board on April 21, 2025: “Nothing took place and his report was dismissed as not having been requested” (p. 137, lines 16–17).

The Grand Agogos · Vol. I, p. 152

On the officer who presided over the investigation, the sworn testimony reads: “He was the lead head of the subcommittee that did the investigation for the six charges”“his vote meant whether or not Douglass would stay in or out and he was an eighth vote entered into this voting process”“As the head of that subcommittee, yes, I felt he should have recused himself” (lines 16–23).

The Grand Grammateus · Vol. I, p. 185

The corporate secretary confirmed the count: “The vote was 8 to 4” (line 19). Asked on the witness stand, by the institution’s own lawyer, what that is percentage-wise: “Sixty-six, sixty-seven. I don’t do math” (lines 20–22); the examining lawyer supplied the figure himself — “That would be a fraction; two-thirds?” (line 23). The percentage under discussion proceeds from the twelve members remaining at the April 9 meeting (lines 3–7). The Grand Agogos’ sworn testimony on the requirement reads: “we needed 10 of 14 members in order to remove a Grand Board member” (p. 135, lines 17–18).

In full: eight yes, four no — twelve votes, from the twelve then present. The other two members of the fourteen: Archon Bradley, whose message and departure appear at Vol. I, pp. 53–55, and the Grand Sire Archon himself, who testified that he left before the vote expecting to be called back, and that the call never came (Vol. II, pp. 180–181).

The Grand Agogos · Vol. I, pp. 53–55

Before the vote, a screenshot in evidence shows Archon Bradley texted the subcommittee members — Board members present that day, including the subcommittee’s chair — “My vote is against removal (in the aggregate) if I don’t make it back”, adding at 12:22, “Please let it be known if you-all get to that before I return” (p. 53, line 13 – p. 54, line 10). The minutes record his attendance to 12:23 and carry the notation “ineligible to vote due to early departure” (p. 54, lines 14–25). He asked for the Zoom link to be extended because he could not get back in (p. 55, lines 2–6). The Grand Agogos testified that he brought the text to the attention of the officer who assumed the chair: “I felt it was a travesty of justice to not include his vote” (p. 55, lines 9–17).

The Grand Grammateus · Vol. I, pp. 192–193

Asked whether anyone else gave an opinion on the interpretation of Bylaw 2, Section 4G after the vote: “We had several folks. There were folks that were giving interpretations all over the place” (p. 192, lines 21–22) — until the Constitution and Bylaws Committee “was brought in to help the board make their final interpretation” (p. 193, lines 1–2).

Loren R. Douglass, 51st Grand Sire Archon · Vol. II, pp. 141–142

Asked whether he was given the opportunity on April 9 to a formal hearing: “No” (p. 141, lines 7–9). Whether he was given a copy of the investigative committee’s report prior to April 8: “No” (lines 10–12). And the record reflects that his recorded interview was not part of the packet before the Grand Board at the time of the vote (p. 141, line 24 – p. 142, line 5).

How to Check a Citation
Citations on this site are to volume, page, and line. In each transcript, the page number appears at the top right of the page; line numbers 1–25 run down the left margin. Every excerpt quoted here can be verified against the record in seconds — and should be.
The Volumes — The Complete Record

Posted in full — every question and every answer, unedited — so that no one has to take anyone’s word for what was said under oath.

Volume I — July 2, 2025

279 pages · witnesses, in order of examination:
Read Volume I (PDF)

Volume II — July 3, 2025

229 pages · witnesses, in order of examination:
Read Volume II (PDF)