Jones Ponders An Appeal With Her Attorneys
An announcement is due Thursday, after a day of private meetings in Dallas
DALLAS (AllPolitics, April 15) -- Paula Jones met with her attorneys Wednesday to decide whether to proceed with what could be a long difficult appeal of the dismissal of her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton. An announcement is set for Thursday afternoon.
Jones' lawyers insisted she come to Dallas to explore the appeal question in detail, and the parties are working to undo reported friction among the lawyers, the Rutherford Institute, the conservative foundation which has helped to finance her case, and Jones' spokeswoman and adviser, Susan Carpenter McMillan.
"I think you have to look at all the options," McMillan told reporters. "You have to look at what's the human toll, what's the financial toll, what are the chances [of success]."
McMillan noted one-third of the time the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis does reverse summary judgments. "They don't like summary judgments," she said.
"There are a number of issues that are still being worked out,
attorney-client issues that are being talked through," said Nisha
N. Mohammed of the Rutherford Institute.
Mohammed said no definitive decision has been made whether to appeal, but repeated that an appeal was "90 percent sure."
Jones, a former Arkansas state employee, alleges then-Gov. Clinton made a crude request for oral sex in a Little Rock hotel in 1991. Clinton has said he doesn't recall meeting Jones, and has denied wrongdoing.
So far, Jones has not reacted publicly to the decision earlier this month by a trial judge dismissing her lawsuit. The judge, Susan Webber Wright, said even if what Jones claims occurred, there was no indication she or her career had been damaged, and her claims did not merit a trial.
CNN plans live coverage of Jones' news conference, set for 2:50 p.m. Thursday EDT.
CNN's Bob Franken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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