Jones' Lawsuit Took A Toll On Her
From nude photos to legal bills, it's been a strain
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, April 3) -- Right or wrong, Paula Corbin Jones has paid a high personal price in her lawsuit against the president.
With her high-profile, four-year sexual harrassment suit against Bill Clinton thrown out by a federal judge just two days ago, Jones is left with the option of pursuing costly appeals or dropping her quest for compensation, and dressing the personal wounds that the last few years of public scrutiny have cost her.
Liberal and women's groups accused Jones of being a tool of right-wing forces, and polling showed the public split on whether to believe her account of what happened in 1991. Jones also is apparently left with few friends to console her.
On two occasions Jones' reputation was further damaged by nude photos in Penthouse that the magazine acquired from an ex-boyfriend, accompanied by lewd interviews that described Jones' sexual history.
Jones lives in Long Beach, Calif., after a move from Arkansas with her husband and two young boys, where she remains a stay-at-home-mother. The stress of the media spotlight has confined Jones to a quiet, sheltered life at her gated home.
Jones may have lost her chance at any compensation last fall when she refused a $700,000 settlement because it lacked an apology from the president. Today, she owes more than $2 million in legal fees.
Jones' former attorney, Joe Cammarata, seeks $800,000 in fees for the three years' work leading to the Supreme Court victory that denied Clinton, as a sitting president, immunity from her suit until he leaves office.
After a dispute over settlement terms, Jones acquired a new legal team, including a Dallas firm, which has rung up close to $1 million in costs in half a year. As payment the firm had anticipated collecting 40 percent of any settlement.
Jones has not been alone in her suit; the conservative Rutherford Institute has spent upwards of $300,000 for Jones' case against the president. The president and his political allies, meanwhile, have set up a fund to defray legal expenses that are approaching $4 million.
With her case's dismissal, a book or movie deal remains an option, a spokeswoman for Jones says. An appeal by her lawyers also appears very likely.
In the end, Jones' losing battle against Clinton serves to strengthen his reputation of invincibility from the other scandals surrounding the presidency.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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