Posted on 11/06/2011 9:48:17 PM PST by smokingfrog
The women who accused GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment more than a decade ago have effectively been released from any agreements they signed pledging not to talk about the alleged episodes, according to employment lawyers.
On Friday, the group Cain headed at the time, the National Restaurant Association, agreed to release one of the women from her confidentiality pledge—at least to allow her attorney, Joel Bennett, to release a carefully drafted statetment saying she stood by the charge.
But because Cain has called the charges fabricated and at least in one instance suggested one of his accusers had performance problems at work, the women likely are free to speak out now regardless of whether the assocation formally consents, the attorneys said. And one prominent lawer who handles sexual harassment and discrimination cases said the women could even bring a libel suit against Cain.
“In my view, there’s nothing left of the confidentiality to maintain. [Cain] has tarnished, he has impugned the integrity of these women by saying these were trumped-up charges ,” said Debra Katz of Katz, Marshall & Banks, a D.C.-based employment law firm. “He misstated the nature of the payment…I can’t understand for the life of me while Joel Bennett is taking such a legalistic approach.”
Katz said any statement by the woman involved doesn’t affect the NRA’s reputation, especially as regards a decade-old incident involving a single alleged wrongdoer. “The allegations were made about a specific individual, not a more widespread atmosphere,” she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
I agree. Democratic operatives know for a fact this would be much more powerful if released in september or october of 2012 right before the general election.
That would mean that they would want to hold these women back for now and keep them on the back burner for a year from now.
If Cain doesn't win the nomination, it doesn't really matter. With Romney, they have flip-flops to fight. With Perry they have the racist rock charge. With my current favorite, Gingrich, they have his past. I don't think they fear Bachman, Santorum, Paul, Huntsman, or Johnson getting the nomination.
Yep. The quote sounds good, but in context, it's said by Dick the Butcher as part of the mob, to Cade, another member of the mob. The idea is that killing lawyers will destabilize society and allow the "OWS-style" mob to do as it pleases.
If I remember my Shakespeare.
That's it. That's all you got.... and Cain's poll numbers go up and up.
Perhaps things change in 500 years.
I see the smear bot cannot help themselves. They just got to keep pimping the Cain smear.
The accusers were told by the NRA they could come out into the open Friday so Cain could defend himself. They refused.
Game over, you lose smear merchants
Haven been give the option to come forward now and refusing to, the accusers have shot their credibility in the head.
Next year this is a dead story.
The 1st question will be “why are you trying to bring up this story now”?
Haven been give the option to come forward now and refusing to, the accusers have shot their credibility in the head for good.
Next year this is a dead story.
The 1st question will be “why are you trying to bring up this story now when you refused to go public last year”?
Not how the media works. Next year this is “old news, all ready heard all about it”. Media will not go back to revisit a dead issue. It doesn’t sell then.
Haven been give the option to come forward now and refusing to, the accusers have shot their credibility in the head for good.
Next year this is a dead story.
The 1st question will be “why are you trying to bring up this story now when you refused to go public last year”
“And you do know that Newt’s ex-wife is still alive, having beaten cancer?”
She never had cancer. The tumor was benign.
Not how the media works. Next year this is “old news, all ready heard all about it”. Media will not go back to revisit a dead issue. It doesn’t sell then.
Haven been give the option to come forward now and refusing to, the accusers have shot their credibility in the head for good.
Next year this is a dead story.
The 1st question will be “why are you trying to bring up this story now when you refused to go public last year”
I see the smear bots cannot help themselves. They just got to keep pimping the Cain smear.
The accusers were told by the NRA they could come out into the open Friday so Cain could defend himself. They refused.
Game over, you lose smear merchants
He is a Paulbot, not a Cain supporter.
New information will be new information, MNJ.
Just my take on it, and if I think long enough, I’ll come up with an election year example.
I doubt they will come out of the shadows. Our overly zealous PC culture made it possible for just about anything to be considered sexual harassment. I don't like Cain. I think he is an inept jerk who is being accused in the same way he has been so willing to accuse others with no proof. However, unless these women come forward with something other than "crude jokes" it's wrong to give them any credibility.
FWIW, I believe they won't come forward because the damage has already been done. People are starting to see Cain in a different light and his support has started to slip.
I would disagree with the inept jerk part. I think he’s been fairly personable and friendly in the public eye. He jumped on Perry too quickly over the racism charge, but he says he was misunderstood. Maybe.
So far as the accusations, I think the payday will be far too big for these women to ignore. Someone will eventually find their price, and they’ll come forward with some carefully worded statements that protect them from any blowback.
I do think that would be saved for the general election if there were substance to any charge.
Gloria Alred getting involved with a new accuser is a concern for one paramount reason: Alred has instant access to the media who loves her. She has never been dumb enough to come out with an accusation that is EASILY blown away. It always takes doing homework (Whitman) to make these things go away when Alred in involved.
That’s what would happen if Cain was a Democrat.
But the media will give the charges a full airing again if one of the people involved wants to tell their story.
It’s just there, now, hanging over Cain’s head.
If it’s bad, it’s bad, if it isn’t so bad, it isn’t so bad.
I don’t know if $90K was considered chump change, go away and leave me alone, it isn’t worth it to start paying lawyers real money to investigate these charges type money, or if $90K was considered a big hit to the restaurant association.
Newt’s wives don’t just disappear.
First, he cheats on them.
Then, he divorces them.
It’s not like “oh, well, Newt likes to be married”. Other candidates like to be married too, but they don’t keep cheating on their wives and divorcing them.
The daughter’s reason to lie is that she wants her dad to be President.
Her mom did refute what she said in the 80s.
The daughter is trying to refute what her Mom already said.
They both have reasons to lie.
I know that Gingrich cheated on wife #1, divorced her, married wife #2. Cheated on wife #2, divorced her, married wife #3.
It most certainly is a major issue facing Newt going forward.
And I don’t dislike Gingrich. I just recognize that cheating on your wife and divorcing her over and over doesn’t play well with undecided voters.
The only Republican candidate I really don’t like is Perry. I would vote for Gingrich if he was the nominee, I would vote for Cain if he was the nominee. I would not vote for Perry if he was the nominee.
I know that Gingrich cheated on wife #1, divorced her, married wife #2. Cheated on wife #2, divorced her, married wife #3.
It most certainly is a major issue facing Newt going forward.
And I don’t dislike Gingrich. I just recognize that cheating on your wife and divorcing her over and over doesn’t play well with undecided voters.
The only Republican candidate I really don’t like is Perry. I would vote for Gingrich if he was the nominee, I would vote for Cain if he was the nominee. I would not vote for Perry if he was the nominee.
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