Schwarzenegger hit with lawsuit; claim alleges election eve smear of groper accuser

Smoking Gun ^ | 12/8/2003 | Anonymous

[B Knotts]

DECEMBER 8--A Los Angeles woman who came forward during the California gubernatorial campaign to accuse Arnold Schwarzenegger of previous instances of sexual harassment today sued the Hollywood star, claiming that he, an aide, and his campaign smeared her as a convicted felon when she made her charges. In the below Los Angeles Superior Court complaint, former stuntwoman Rhonda Miller charges that the Schwarzenegger camp told reporters that she had an extensive rap sheet, a dirty trick meant to discount her credibility when it came to the harassment charges. Miller claims that the Schwarzenegger smear began an hour after she made her charges public, with campaign spokesman Sean Walsh sending journalists an e-mail directing them to the Superior Court's web site, where they could access Miller's lengthy criminal history. The felon in question, however, was a different Rhonda Miller. (7 pages)

[over3Owithabrain]

Isn't it time to moveon.org?

[Steven W.]

This is a ridiculous lawsuit and the fact she's suing over this vs. the alleged groping itself tells you all you need to know about the accuser in this case.

[metalboy]

I don`t remember him pulling a double Clinton (Groping and smearing)Yeah, maybe the groping, but I don`t remember the smearing. If so, hasta la vista moolah

[B Knotts]

I frankly don't know what to think, but I saw this linked on Drudge, so I thought I'd give everyone here a heads up.

[js1138]

So the press doesn't do its homeworks and Arnold is to blame?

[ZGuy]

I believe that the confusion with another woman of the same name who had a long criminal history began with some LA radio hosts who made the announcement, but also made it clear that they hadn't been able to verify that it was in fact the same woman. When it was learned that the two people were not the same, the radio hosts issued an immediate on-air clarification. Arnold's team was not involved.

[sinkspur]

Attempted extortion.

[Saundra Duffy]

It begins . . .

[pogo101]

Arnold's team isn't entirely uninvolved, but the suit still is garbage. Here's the deal as I remember it.

Arnold staffer puts out email to media advising something like, "If you go to such and such database and enter 'Rhonda Miller,' you will find out interesting things from public records."

At no time did the Arnold staffer say that any and all information thus learned was THE SAME Rhonda Miller. The likely fact of the matter is -- and not that it matters -- is that the Arnold staffer DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT it was the same Rhonda Miller. (If he HAD known it was the same person, he'd probably have said so!)

[drjimmy]

Arnold's team was not involved.
So you're saying that maybe the message sent by Sean Walsh to the media was forged? Or perhaps it was a different man named Sean Walsh, not the one who was Arnold's campaign spokesman, who sent the message?

[B Knotts]

LOL...good one.

[samtheman]

Someone needs to hold her upside down over an open toilet.

[Young Rhino]

Tom Daschle McClintock is deeply saddened.

[Pikamax]

even her charges were disputed by people who worked with her. Lets find out who is behind the money to bring the lawsuit.

[B Knotts]

You're blaming Tom McClintock for this?

[samtheman]

Lets find out who is behind the money to bring the lawsuit.

Ask the LA Times to look into it. They'll get right back to you. Sometime just before hell freezes over.

[Bean Counter]

All that this means is that Gloria Allred was successful in her shopping for a new client. Period.
Just another example of a celebrity attorney finding a sensational case to argue in the media.

[ZGuy]

What is the timing of the two events? The lawsuit says the memo went out on the 6th (at what time though?). I believe "John and Ken" were talking about it prior to that. They discovered it, told Walsh, then the memo went out.
I wasn't able to find the original post noting that John and Ken revealed that a "Rhonda Miller" had a rapsheet. If someone could find it, it might help nail down the sequence of events.

[Howlin]

You're exactly right.