Posted on 03/21/2008 4:53:50 PM PDT by TAdams8591
PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE FOR CONSTITUIONAL JUSTICE P.O. 306, Cheltenham, PA 19012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Don Adams
CLINTON PROTESTERS AND TEAMSTERS END TEN YEAR LEGAL BATTLE
Philadelphia, PA (March 21, 2008) -- One of the few remaining civil suits stemming from the Clinton-era Lewinsky scandal—involving the vicious beating of two anti-Clinton siblings by pro-Clinton Teamsters outside Philadelphia’s City Hall during a 1998 presidential visit—settled out of court today.
The victims, Don Adams and Teri Adams, signed an agreement after Teamsters Local 115 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters opted to pay an undisclosed sum in exchange for dropping the suit, which included counts of assault, defamation of character, and malicious prosecution against the unions. A May, 2008 trial had been set by the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
“Today, my sister and I are declaring victory for the First Amendment and freedom of speech,” said Mr. Adams. “Every American citizen has the right to protest the actions of any U. S. President, whether he, or she, be a Clinton or a Bush.”
The October 2, 1998 attack occurred as Mr. Adams marched with a sign calling Bill Clinton a “liar, pervert, national shame.” Two Teamsters snuck up behind him and ripped the sign out of his hand. When he and his sister turned around to retrieve it, they were encircled by a mob of Teamsters led by (then) Local 115 officer and IBT Vice President, John Morris.
Mr. Morris rammed a fedora over Mr. Adams’ face, blinding him to the onslaught of Teamsters who proceeded to jump and pummel both Adamses.
Mr. Adams suffered head injuries (including a mild concussion), lacerations, bruising, and a herniated (neck) disc. He was treated at an area hospital. Ms. Adams, who tried to protect her brother, was bruised but not seriously injured.
The attack was captured on videotape by local news stations and broadcast nationally at a time when (then) Mayor Ed Rendell was trying to attract both the 2000 Democratic and Republican National Conventions to the “City of Brotherly Love.”
Mr. Rendell’s spokesman, Kevin Feeley, caused a public uproar when he responded to the incident by saying, “they [the anti-Clinton protestors] chose to make their views known in the faces of Teamsters—that, generally, is not a good career choice.”
(more) Clinton Protesters Page 2
Mr. Rendell subsequently admitted to inviting the Teamsters to the pro-Clinton rally— instructing them to “drown out [anti-Clinton] protesters.”
For his part, Mr. Morris spoke on camera to Bill Baldini of Channel 10 News—accusing Mr. Adams of hitting two female Teamsters and of belonging to the mafia.
District Attorney Lynne Abraham, who refused to criminally charge Mr. Morris for signaling the attack, prosecuted Mr. Adams on a trumped-up private criminal complaint lodged by Teamster Heather Diocson—despite news video evidence and police testimony exculpating Mr. Adams.
At Adams’ arraignment in January, 1999, Teamster attorney, Norton Brainard, offered to have the criminal complaint against Mr. Adams withdrawn on the condition that Mr. Adams drop his criminal allegations against the Teamsters. Mr. Adams declined the deal and was put on trial in July, 1999. He was found not guilty of simple assault and other misdemeanors. Mr. Adams was the only individual to stand trial in the entire matter.
In October, 2000, the Adamses filed a Federal Civil Rights suit—not only naming the Teamsters—but also Mr. Rendell and Ms. Abraham. All counts against Ms. Abraham were eventually rejected by the court on grounds of prosecutorial immunity.
In August, 2003, Federal Judge William Yohn dismissed the Adamses’ Civil Rights claims with prejudice—throwing the case out of Federal Court. In his decision, Judge Yohn set aside all federal charges against Mr. Rendell. The state counts against Rendell and the Teamsters, however, stayed in tact. The Adamses quickly appealed Judge Yohn’s ruling to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and cross-filed their claims in state court.
Because Mr. Rendell’s wife, Marjorie Rendell, sat on the 3rd Circuit bench, the Adamses’ attorney, Trey Mayfield, asked the entire 3rd Circuit to recuse itself. After a long delay, the appellate court appointed an outside panel of judges to hear the case. In 2006, the panel upheld Judge Yohn’s ruling.
The Adamses immediately moved to activate the case in Common Pleas Court, where the remaining civil counts against Mr. Rendell were dismissed in January, 2008. . Last year, Judge Yohn ordered the Adamses to pay the Teamsters $15,000.00 in legal costs arising from the Federal suit. The Adamses, again, appealed Judge Yohn’s decision to the 3rd Circuit. The issue was rendered moot by today’s settlement, whose terms are confidential.
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Congratulations on the resolution. I was a lurker back then but remember being outraged at the brazen attack and the Rendell role in the whole sordid situation. What irks me more than anything else about the Clintons and their friends like Rendell is the way they pick on regular people (Billy Dale comes to mind).
Not a problem at all. I've never made a secret of my true identity.
AM, can you restore #1? Thanks!
Sadly, we couldn't agree more.
"Only by wearing a NY Giants jersey could this have been any more one-sided in its injustice."
Funny and true.
Will do. Thanks!
Thank YOU once again, Kevin! : )
Get ready, LL! Number one is coming back. : )
The Clintons are bullies, no doubt about it.
Ten Years! It seems like yesterday when I read here on FreeRepublic about you getting beat up by the Teamsters. I hope all worked out well for you.
Lesser people would have given up long ago. You and Don were valiant, always trying to hold these scalawags accountable.
The prejudice of these union officials, the Philly politicians, and Fast Eddie, along with a corrupt DA Lynne Abraham, represented a mountain of evil to climb.
We are proud of you. You will always be No.1 in the Freeper Hall of Fame.
Someday, true justice will be administered by the Judge above all judges. Mr. Morris may have made his acquaintance already.
God bless you, Teri, and Don. A big thank you to Dr. Kevin, who faithfully kept all of us informed over these long years.
Today, there is release and deliverance, just as there was on the first Good Friday. Let us be glad and rejoice in it.
Happy Easter to you all.
All I can say is that you and Don are my Gold Standard for American citizenship, and it was a sincere honor to support you in any way that I could.
Thank you both for all that you sacrificed, to fight for such dear principles on our behalf.
Looks to me like you not only got a beating, you ended up paying THEIR legal bills?
Lucky you, living in Pennsylvania and all...
Congratulations Teri, if not for the settlement then at least for surviving the experience. Ten years is a long time to endure legal problems. I hope that you can spend the rest of your life and never have to enter another courtroom.
I went through a 10 year long ordeal with the legal system and now one of my main goals is to never deal with another attorney. Of course that may not jive with one of my other goals of living long enough to p*** on Clintoon’s grave someday. Oh well I’ll just have to see how life goes, it’s possible that they are just too blasted ornery to ever die first.
Back on subject, I’m glad that you prevailed and that you didn’t let the union get away with thuggery. You and your brother have scored a victory for freedom today.
I’ve taken some bad beats in court. But nothing I’ve seen personally has been so transparently bogus as this case. (And I’ve had judges literally accuse my clients of being ‘evil’ before ruling against them.)
Wonderful. I have watched and read about this since “day one”. I am glad that it is over for you.
I feel that you have fought for all of us and our right to counter protest all these years.
Thank You!
5.56mm
Beautiful and deeply touching words from two dear friends with us from the beginning and in Kevin’s case literally from moment one. Thank you. : )
No, the settlement negated the judges order that we pay them, thank God. The Teamsters paid quite a tidy sum to their lawyers, a consideration that has brought a smile to our faces on several occasions.
I hope that Rendell gets what’s deserved, and that is jail.
Any depositions taken for any case can be used in other cases.
Hope Peter Paul’s lawyers check out the Adams case for useful information to impeach Rendell’s credibility.
Sorry the Adams had to suffer at the hands of the Democrat Party Stormtroopers.
I lived in Phila. for 4 years while going to school there (under Mayor Dilworth and Rizzo). At least they were pretty decent people. Today’s Democrats in Philadelphia are the scum of the earth. On second thought, perhaps I have just insulted “scum”.
Anything that can be legally done to Rendell and his pack of crooks and thugs should be done. And while on this subject, lets get rid of Spector, Murtha, Stepak, Richardson, and other pieces of crap.
I wonder if the outcome against the obviously biased Ms. Abraham would have been different post-Nifong. Still, you persevered and went up against Goliath. Bravo. I’m not a fan of undisclosed settlements but if anyone has earned one, it is you and your brother.
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