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Paula Jones
Paula Jones
Paula Corbin Jones (born Paula Rosalee Corbin on September 17, 1966, in Lonoke, Arkansas) is a former Arkansas state employee who sued President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. Eventually, the court dismissed the lawsuit, before trial, on the grounds that Jones failed to demonstrate any damages. However, while the dismissal was on appeal, Clinton entered into an out-of-court settlement by agreeing to pay Jones $850,000. The impeachment trial of President Clinton on perjury and obstruction of justice charges was based on statements he made during the depositions for the Paula Jones lawsuit. The specific statements were about the nature of his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, with whom he denied having a sexual relationship. meet with her in his room. Ferguson then escorted Jones up to Clinton’s room and stood outside the room until Jones came out. According to Ferguson, when Jones came out she said that she would not mind being Clinton’s girlfriend. Jones denied Ferguson’s version of the story, and subsequently named Ferguson as a co-defendant. While there were no eye-witnesses to back up Jones’s account, Jones told a friend contemporaneously of the harassment and many other women were willing to testify to similar behavior by Clinton. In late 1997, Judge Susan Webber Wright ruled Jones was "entitled to information regarding any individuals with whom President Clinton had sexual relations or proposed to or sought to have sexual relations and who were, during the relevant time frame, state or federal employees."
Biography
She was raised a member of the Church of the Nazarene, the daughter of a minister of that church.[1]
Initial lawsuit
Jones began to be represented by Gilbert Davis and Joseph Cammarata, two Washington, D.C.-area lawyers. Later she befriended Susan Carpenter-McMillan, a California woman and conservative commentator, who became her press spokesperson. CarpenterMcMillan wasted no time in using the press to attack Clinton to a much greater degree, calling him "un-American," a "liar," and a "philanderer" on Meet the Press, Crossfire, Equal Time, Larry King Live, Today, The Geraldo Rivera Show, Burden of Proof, Hannity & Colmes, Talkback Live, and other shows. "I do not respect a man who cheats on his wife, and exposes his penis to a stranger," she said.[6] Clinton and his defense team challenged Jones’s right to bring a civil lawsuit against a sitting president for an incident that occurred prior to the defendant’s becoming president. The Clinton defense team took the position that the trial should be delayed until the president was no longer in office, because the job of the president is unique and does not allow him to take time away from it to deal with a private civil lawsuit. The case wound its way through the courts, eventually
Jones v. Clinton
Background
According to Jones’ account that is no longer denied but also not confirmed by Bill Clinton under terms of the settlement, on May 8, 1991, Paula Jones was escorted to the room of Clinton, then governor of Arkansas, in the Excelsior[2][3][4] (now Peabody) Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he propositioned her. She claimed she kept quiet about the incident until 1994, when a David Brock story in American Spectator told a lurid account, sometimes referred to as Troopergate, about an Arkansas employee named "Paula" offering to be Clinton’s girlfriend. Jones filed a sexual harassment suit against Clinton on May 6, 1994, two days prior to the 3-year statute of limitations, and sought [5] $750,000.00 in damages Arkansas state trooper Danny Ferguson was named as a co-defendant in Jones’s lawsuit. According to Brock, Ferguson told Jones that [then] Governor Clinton would like to
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reaching the Supreme Court on January 13, 1997. On May 27, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against Clinton, and allowed the lawsuit to proceed.[2] Clinton dismissed Jones’ story and agreed to move on with the lawsuit.[7]
Paula Jones
show the results of a nose job paid for by a donor.[11] In April 1999, Judge Wright found President Clinton in civil contempt of court for misleading testimony in the Jones case. She ordered Clinton to pay Jones $91,000 for expenses incurred as the result of Clinton’s dishonest and misleading answers.[12] Wright then referred Clinton’s conduct to the Arkansas Bar for disciplinary action, and on January 19, 2001, the day before President Clinton left the White House, Clinton entered into an agreement with the Arkansas Bar and Independent Counsel Robert Ray under which Clinton was stripped of his license to practice law for a period of five years.[13]His fine was paid from a fund raised for his legal expenses.
Change in counsel
On August 29 1997, Jones’ attorneys Gilbert Davis and Joseph Cammarata asked to resign from the case believing the settlement offer they had secured, and Jones refused, was the appropriate way to end the case. [8] In September, Judge Wright accepted their request.[5] Jones was then represented by the Rutherford Institute, a conservative legal organization, and by a Dallas law firm. Carpenter-McMillan continued to serve as Jones’ spokesperson. In December of 1997, Jones agreed to lower her settlement to $525,000.00 and agreed to no longer try Danny Ferguson as a co-defendant.[5]
Perjury - Lewinsky scandal connection
Jones’s lawyers decided to show to the court a pattern of behavior by Clinton that involved his allegedly repeatedly becoming sexually involved with state or government employees. Jones’s lawyers therefore subpoenaed women they suspected Clinton had had affairs with, one of whom was Monica Lewinsky. In his deposition for the Jones lawsuit, Clinton denied having "sexual relations" with Monica Lewinsky. Based on evidence provided by Linda Tripp, which identified the existence of a blue dress with Clinton’s semen, Kenneth Starr concluded that this sworn testimony was false and perjurious. During the deposition in the Jones case, Clinton was asked, "Have you ever had sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, as that term is defined in Deposition Exhibit 1, as modified by the Court?" The judge ordered that Clinton be given an opportunity to review the definition. It included contact with the genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, or buttocks of a person with an intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of that person, any contact of the genitals or anus of another person, or contact of one’s genitals or anus with any part of another person’s body either directly or through clothing.[14][15][16] Clinton flatly denied having sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky.[17] Later, at the Starr Grand Jury, Clinton stated that he believed the definition of sexual relations agreed upon for the Jones deposition excluded his receiving oral sex. It was upon the
Paula Jones’ declaration
Under penalty of perjury, Paula Jones declared that Clinton had Trooper Danny Ferguson escort her to Clinton’s hotel room where Clinton made sexual advances that Jones rejected. Clinton eventually dropped both his trousers and his underwear and exposed himself to Jones, at which time Jones said she had to go.[9]
Conclusion of case
Before the case reached trial, Judge Susan Webber Wright granted President Clinton’s motion for summary judgment, ruling that Jones could not show that she had suffered any damages—according to Arkansas state law standards of outrage and intentional infliction of emotional distress—even if her claim of sexual harassment were otherwise proven. Jones appealed the dismissal to a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, where, at oral argument, two of the three judges on the panel appeared sympathetic to her arguments.[10] On November 13, 1998, Clinton settled with Jones for $850,000, the entire amount of her claim, but without an apology, in exchange for her agreement to drop the appeal. All but $151,000 went to pay what were by then her considerable legal expenses. Before the end of the entire litigation, her marriage broke apart and she appeared in the news media to
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basis of this statement that the perjury charges in his impeachment were drawn up. Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. But despite Republican control of the Senate, Clinton was found not guilty on both charges.
Paula Jones
commented on the polygraph test results, with the exception of Hannity and Colmes, who dedicated a couple of segments to it, and Sean Hannity’s radio show.[18] In Fall 2009, Jones will appear as herself in ’The Blue Dress’, a movie about the Lewinsky scandal[19]
Life following the Clinton See also • Juanita Broaddrick, aka Jane Doe #5 in lawsuit
Jones now claims she was victimized by both Clinton and his Republican opponents. Her legal fund did not cover the attorneys’ fees, and Jones’s personal life was disrupted during the controversy: she was divorced by her husband, purchased a house after the settlement, and incurred a large tax bill, then posed nude for Penthouse magazine, claiming that she would use the money to pay the tax and fund her two grade-school-aged children’s college education. This caused her to be publicly denounced as "trailer-park trash" by author Ann Coulter, who said, "I totally believed she was the good Christian girl who had suffered sexual harassment. That is what she made herself out to be.... [N]ow it turns out she’s a fraud, at least to the extent of pretending to be an honorable and moral person." Jones attempted to defend herself on Larry King Live, stating, "I haven’t been out doing anything and trying to make a lot of money. I haven’t been offered a book deal like everybody else in this huge thing has done. Ann Coulter’s done books. I haven’t seen her call me up and say: ’Paula, would you like for me to help you write a book, a really nice, decent book?’ I haven’t had any help from anybody whatsoever." Jones subsequently appeared in a boxing match against Tonya Harding in Fox TV’s Celebrity Boxing in 2002, filling in for Amy Fisher; Jones lost the match. In March 2005, Paula Jones appeared on the debut show of Lie Detector on Pax TV, produced by Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision, and was given a polygraph exam. She was asked if then Governor Bill Clinton had—in a hotel room in 1991—dropped his pants, exposed himself, and asked for sexual favors from her. Jones said yes and the polygraph operator determined she was telling the truth. Lie Detector offered to test Clinton, but he did not respond to the request. No American mainstream news sources Jones’ lawsuit • Gennifer Flowers • Kathleen Willey • Monica Lewinsky
Further reading
• Clinton, Bill (2005). My Life. Vintage. ISBN 1-4000-3003-X.
References
[1] http://www.adherents.com/largecom/ fam_nazarene.html [2] ^ Clinton v. Jones, No. 95-1853 U.S. (1997-05-27). [3] "Key events in Paula Jones’s sexual harassment case against President Clinton". http://www.gargaro.com/ pjkeyevents.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [4] "Top 8 Clinton Scandal Sites". http://littlerock.about.com/cs/thingstodo/ tp/tpclintonscand.htm. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [5] ^ "Clinton v. Jones Timeline". The Washington Post. 1997-07-04. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ politics/special/pjones/timeline.htm. Retrieved on 2009-01-19. [6] Plotz, David (1997-09-21). "Susan Carpenter-McMillan - The woman who ate Paula Jones.". Slate Magazine. http://www.slate.com/id/1832/. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [7] "Clinton "Adamantly" Denies Jones’ Accusations". The Washington Post. 1997-07-04. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ politics/special/pjones/stories/ pj070497a.htm. Retrieved on 2009-01-19. [8] "Jones v. Clinton: Second Letter From Cammarata and Davis". Court TV. 1997-07-04. http://www.courttv.com/
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archive/legaldocs/government/jones/ lawyerletter2.html. Retrieved on 2009-01-19. [9] "Declaration of Paula Jones". The Washington Post. 1998-03-13. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ politics/special/pjones/docs/ jonesdec031398.htm. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [10] Baker, Peter (1998-11-14). "Clinton Settles Paula Jones Lawsuit for $850,000". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ politics/special/clinton/stories/ jones111498.htm. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [11] Paula Jones’ New Nose. [12] Franken, Bob (1999-04-12). "Clinton found in civil contempt for Jones testimony". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/ ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/04/12/ clinton.contempt/. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [13] "Transcript - Independent Counsel Robert Ray Holds News Conference on Deal Struck With President Clinton in Whitewater Probe". CNN. 2001-01-19. http://transcripts.cnn.com/ TRANSCRIPTS/0101/19/bn.10.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [14] "President Clinton’s Deposition in the Paula Jones Case". australianpolitics.com. 1998-01-17. http://www.australianpolitics.com/usa/ clinton/paulajones/deposition.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [15] King, John (1998-03-05). "New Details Of Clinton’s Jones Deposition Leaked". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/
Paula Jones
ALLPOLITICS/1998/03/05/ clinton.deposition. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [16] Kangas, Steve. "Perjury about sexual relations from the Paula Jones deposition". Liberalism Resurgent web site. http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/Lclintonjonesperjury.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [17] Starr, Kenneth (1998-09-09). "Independent Counsel Kenneth’s Starr report to the House of Representatives". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.com/ modules/starr_rpt/6narrit1.htm#L12. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [18] "Paula Jones Talks with Sean & Alan". FOX News. 2005-03-09. http://www.foxnews.com/story/ 0,2933,150036,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. [19] "Inqlings: Paula Jones stops by". 2008-10-28. http://www.philly.com/ inquirer/magazine/31521479.html.
External links
• Barak, Daphne (1998-09-23). "Jones would have been happy with an apology". Irish Examiner. http://archives.tcm.ie/ irishexaminer/1998/09/23/fhead.htm. Retrieved on 2007-09-26. • Conason, Joe; Lyons, Gene (2000). The Hunting of the President. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 0-312-24547-5. • Givhan, Robin (1998-01-16). "Paula Jones’s About-Face". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/politics/special/pjones/stories/ pj011698.htm. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Jones" Categories: 1966 births, Living people, People from Arkansas, Sex scandal figures, Lewinsky scandal figures, Clinton administration controversies, Political scandals in the United States, People associated with the Church of the Nazarene This page was last modified on 20 May 2009, at 06:18 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
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