I don't see Darden as a bad guy here.
Darden is not, as far as I can tell, a bad guy in the slightest. IH have been one of the few groups that have gone out and obtained funding for LENR researchers, and they have helped out several well-known ones you may have heard of. They have had an unlucky run-in with Rossi and have lost millions in what will history will no doubt judge to be an unjust settlement. Blame this on inadequate due diligence and not moving to cut ties with Rossi when they should have. Let us hope that others seeking to invest in the field benefit from IH's difficult lesson.