Is this a great country or what?
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 ...
There’s nothing worse than kicking a dead horse. It’s time to move on.
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” ~Henry The Sixth, Part 2 Act 4, scene 2, 71–78 by Wm. Shakespeare
Is this a great country or what?
Katz must understand that this anonymous person might want to remain anonymous, or is holding out for a big payday down the road.
Believe me, a lawyer who defends these cases can make just as strong an argument the other way.
To put this all on Cain when he didn’t start it, and the women clearly spoke to Politico and broke teh agreements first, is completely unfair.
A VERY VERY BIG POINT: I have never heard anyone say that Cain agreed to keep anything confidential. The women signed a release in return for the money, it is very likely no one thought to ask Cain or the company to remain quiet.
is that what happened? I thought we had no idea what happened?
If you were to lay all the lawyers in the world end to end on the bottom of the ocean.
If they’re NOT trumped-up charges and if the women are free to talk, why don’t they come forward and present their evidence?
So far, this has been nothing but one innuendo after another.
How exactly does one libel an anonymous person? Do tell.
I see that they're still up to their old tricks with another Sunday night rehash of last Sunday's night's story.
It's time to macaca the MSM.
-PJ
Not only that she doesn’t have anything to say! It was a bogus charge!
Gee. can’t we just....
move on?
How do you “impugn” the reputation of “anonymous”?
The country is going to hell in a handbasket, we’ve got a bi Marxist President, and we’re worried about about what he said/she said 15 years ago?agog
The country is going to hell in a handbasket, we’ve got a bi Marxist President, and we’re worried about about what he said/she said 15 years ago?
The country is going to hell in a handbasket, we’ve got a bi Marxist President, and we’re worried about about what he said/she said 15 years ago?
In context, you’d see that Shakespeare meant that would not be a good thing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.