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Jones' lawyers up the ante to $2 million
In this story: October 17, 1998Web posted at: 7:44 p.m. EDT (2344 GMT) WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, October 17) -- CNN has learned that Paula Jones' attorneys have made a $2 million out-of-court settlement offer in her sexual-harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton. The offer would require the president to pay $1 million, with the balance coming from New York real estate tycoon Abe Hirschfeld, who has offered $1 million "to put this case behind us." The offer, which came after a day of haggling among Jones' lawyers over their fees, received a cold reception by Clinton's representatives. Attorney Bob Bennett refused comment, but a source sympathetic to the president told CNN's Bob Franken, "This will not be considered a good faith offer and it just proves what Bennett has been saying: that this is just about Paula Jones getting a lot of money." "This offer," said the source, "is not only an unreasonable amount but unreasonable terms." Sources say Bennett has not yet made a response to the offer. Appeal to reinstate lawsuit to be heard TuesdayThe lawsuit was dismissed in April by a U.S. District Court judge, but Jones' lawyers have filed an appeal to reinstate it. The appeal is to be heard Tuesday, and some of the attorneys representing Jones had hoped a settlement agreement could be reached before that time. The latest proposal could mean that won't happen. In weeks of on-again, off-again bargaining, Bennett twice rejected Jones' demand for $1 million from Clinton and twice countered -- first with $500,000 then with $700,000. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright in Little Rock, Arkansas, will release on the Internet previously sealed materials in the Jones case that could reveal a grab bag of claims and denials regarding the president's sex life. More embarrassing documents?The deposition behind the Clinton impeachment inquiry, parts of which already are public record, had been widely believed to be among the evidence Wright would release. But the judge said Friday that she had discovered no full transcript of the deposition on file with the court. What documents are left potentially could prove embarrassing to the president. Materials that have not been made public, through leaks or court filings could include evidence that Jones' lawyers gathered as they sought out other women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with Clinton. Previous court filings refer to sworn statements by self-proclaimed Clinton girlfriends Gennifer Flowers and Dolly Kyle Browning, claiming the president and his aides promised jobs or threatened retribution to secure their silence. Correspondent Bob Franken and The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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