The contents of the letter are not publicly known, but Town Counsel Juliana Rice wrote in an e-mail March 5 that "such a letter is a procedural prerequisite to filing some types of claims in court. We are in the process of reviewing the claims set forth in that letter."

The letter is believed to be from Frank Mondano, the attorney representing Coughlin and Bouris in arbitration cases filed after they were fired in August 2007 for their roles in exchanging inappropriate e-mails on public-school servers.

Mondano has not responded to a March 5 request for comment about the letter. Rice has not responded to followup questions about the contents of the letter and the town's response.

Asked March 5 whether the town has been sued, Rice wrote, "Suit has not been filed. The Town received a presentment (or demand) letter yesterday on behalf of Mr. Coughlin and Ms. Bouris."

A demand letter or a presentment can signal that a lawsuit may be filed. It can also mean that a lawyer is trying to avoid going to court.

On March 9, Rice wrote that she expects "that, at tonight's meeting, one or more of the selectmen may make a motion to go into executive session to discuss threatened litigation against the town with me, as the town counsel.

"If that motion is made and it carries, then an executive session will be convened to discuss threatened litigation against the town."

The arbitration for Coughlin, a former tech-ed teacher at Ottoson Middle School, is in its 14th month. The arbirtration for Bouris, the former principal at Ottoson, began in late January. A permanent principal for the middle school has been hired.

This story was first published March 8, 2009, and updated since then.