November 11, 2011

Herman Cain's lawyer, Lin Wood, a defamation expert.

He says he's not there to file lawsuits against the women who are accusing Cain, but to "give him my legal evaluation of whether any of these particular statements are potentially actionable." Whatever he says about filing lawsuits, his presence on Cain's team is a way to caution accusers and, at the very least, influence them to be careful about what they say.

Wood has some interesting names on his list of former clients:
Wood represented Richard Jewell, who was suspected and cleared of the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing and later filed libel suits against media organizations and a local college, some of which were settled.

Wood's other notable clients included John and Patsy Ramsey, suspected but later cleared in the unsolved murder of their daughter, JonBenet Ramsey. The couple filed defamation suits against a number of media companies.

Wood also filed a defamation lawsuit against Vanity Fair magazine writer Dominick Dunne on behalf of former Congressman Gary Condit, who was romantically involved with intern Chandra Levy but never an official suspect in her 2001 murder. The suit was settled for an undisclosed amount.
Those are all people who were dreadfully accused in the press.

32 comments:

Scott M said...

I love how Allred said Cain "lawyering up" constituted him trying to intimidate the accusers. Please tell me what's more intimidating than Gloria Allred calling a press conference about you with one of your supposed "victims". When I saw her make that claim, I actually did a double-take at the complete lack of self-awareness.

Unknown said...

Good for him!

I think another tipping point we are seeing in this election cycle is in media power. Herman and others are fighting back -- and winning.

Shouting Thomas said...

Jobless & shameless gal going for gold

Andrea Peyser of the NY Post on Bialek.

This hit campaign is orchestrated from the White House. Gloria Allred's presence is all the proof I need.

cryptical said...

Lets hope the lawsuits reach Axelrod.

Hagar said...

I also saw a posting that said Karen Kraushaar will not hold a joint press conference with "the other women" lawyer Bennett (and the MSM) keeps talking about, because they can't be found.

pm317 said...

Allred on Hannity last night: 'he knows the specifics and he should tell us.' NO, you are the one accusing him, you tell us the specifics. Now the DC woman does not want to do a press conference. I feel if the specifics were horrible, Axelrod would have got it unsealed and plastered it all over, like he did with Jack Ryan. I am not going to vote for Cain but this kind of hounding from Axelrod, Obama and the media has to stop.

Shouting Thomas said...

This has also become a common tactic.

I was discussing the Cain biz on Facebook, and within moments, some asshole was accusing me of being a pedophile, sex abuse and sexual harasser.

When I suggested that this was a pretty vicious thing to do to a man he's never met, he said that my anger over his slanders proved that I must be guilty as charged.

By the way, this has now happened to me three times, once on this site, and twice on Facebook.

Does the repetition of these slanderous allegations prove that "something" must have happened?

Does the accumulation of slanderous accusations prove that "where there's smoke there's fire?"

Lyle said...

Good for him was my first thought too.

Fire meets fire.

Anonymous said...

Good , I'm glad.

edutcher said...

Sounds like one of Herman's better staff moves.

But, as Scott M, notes, getting a lawyer is considered a bad thing only if you're the one the Lefties want to lynch.

Any time you have any problem that has legal implications, the smartest thing you can do is get a lawyer.

Right, Ann?

Shouting Thomas said...

Jobless & shameless gal going for gold

Andrea Peyser of the NY Post on Bialek.

This hit campaign is orchestrated from the White House. Gloria Allred's presence is all the proof I need.


Shhhh.... Don't say that!

Seven might be lurking.

Hagar said...

I also saw a posting that said Karen Kraushaar will not hold a joint press conference with "the other women" lawyer Bennett (and the MSM) keeps talking about, because they can't be found.

I'd heard that she wouldn't do a presser without the others.

Shouting Thomas said...

It's time to get rid of all sexual harassment laws, except for quid pro quo demands for sex in return for a job.

Sexual harassment laws are now just a opportunity for scam artists to commit extortion.

Bender said...

Nice company that Cain is with now -- Gary Condit and the Ramseys.

Yeah, that makes him look like a good and perfect angel.

edutcher said...

They were also not guilty of what they were accused of doing.

Unknown said...

"Those are all people who were dreadfully accused in the press."

Especially Richard Jewell who literally saved hundreds of people but was accused of the crime he prevented. What was his actual crime? He was a fat white male and didn't look like a "hero". Unfortunately, our "heroes" are Hollywood big mouths who have nothing but big egos.

Shouting Thomas said...

Nice company that Cain is with now -- Gary Condit and the Ramseys.

Yeah, that makes him look like a good and perfect angel.


I guess he must be guilty then, since he hired the same lawyer.

That's pretty sharp reasoning, Bender.

Unknown said...

Bender, Condit was sleazy, but the Ramseys? For losing their child?

Hope you and your loved ones are never falsely accused.

edutcher said...

Anent George Patton, George Marshall once said, "When you need a plumber, you have no interest in anything but whether he is a good plumber".

Carol_Herman said...

Herman Cain's cooked.

Today, at Drudge, there are two white women showing him support, while he is clasping them close, in a bear hug.

Not saying there aren't a minority of voters who'd put him on the republican ticket IF THEY COULD! Jeb Bush, though, has a better shot!

And, we haven't heard "the end" of Sarah Palin, either.

As to the women who have come forward, what else is there to say? They got their "15 minutes." It has, and will in the future, define Herman Cain.

And, Richard Jewell's lawyer had an EASY CASE! Nobody, but the FBI, thought of making Richard Jewell the center of gravity in the Atlanta EXPLOSION. Where a bomb did go off.

Who did that?

Seems it just all got swept under the rug. Richard Jewell did get some settlement money, though.

Herman Cain needs more than "settlement money." He needs this story to disappear. And, it won't.

Toad Trend said...

Carol Herman Cain said

"Herman Cain's cooked."

"Herman Cain needs more than "settlement money." He needs this story to disappear. And, it won't."

Um, Carol, just because you are the subject of a smear doesn't necessarily make you less desirable.

It can be quite 'affirming'.

I think David Axelrod knows what I mean.

William said...

If Republicans had abandoned Cain, it would, according to liberals, have been proof of their bigotry. Since they did not, it is proof of their gullibility.....It takes no great leap of imagination to conceive of Cain flirting with women. I just can't imagine him being as big a sleaze about it as Bill Clinton or Ted Kennedy.

traditionalguy said...

Lin Wood is a competent Atlanta Lawyer with no fear of the Media. The Hit and Run Media do fear him.

Herman has more loyal friends here than you might expect. And his is an appeal that does not happen with many public figures, most of whom are jerks.

Sadly though his poll numbers are down so that he leads the others is 5 points instead of 10 points.

Freeman Hunt said...

Good choice on Cain's part.

Cedarford said...

The "family values" conservatives rallying around "Our Herman" need to move past the criminal-noncriminal questioning to a more basic question.
Is Herman Cain a philanderer? Should these 'Christians' really care that "Teddy was worse" and "Bill Clinton got away with it, so Cain if he was a cheater deserves a pass from Republicans and the media"????

In the 5 months this guy has been on the radar screen, his 'wife' hasn't been with him once, in one public appearance. Contrast that to the other candidates and Obama - who for all his other flaws appears to be a good family man.

damikesc said...

Is Herman Cain a philanderer?

Do you have any evidence that he is?

Some accusations from a brief stint in Chicago where Obama's campaign head has had a history of dredging up sex scandals, real or otherwise, involving opponents don't really prove a lot.

Especially when they seem to be out for ulterior motives and not people one can take all that seriously.

Bender said...

Part of it, Cedarford, is that some foolishly and reflexively take the attitude of, well, if their guy got away with it, we are going to stand by our guy.

Also, part of it is the Herman McNabb syndrome. Oh, wait, that's too obvious, let's call it the Donovan Cain syndrome.

Christopher in MA said...

". . .his 'wife' hasn't been with him once. . ."

Perhaps she's shy. Perhaps she wants to stay out of the limelight. Perhaps, having seen her husband smeared by 'humans' like yourself, she's staying out of the line of fire. Who knows?

In fact, I gave Cain more credit for NOT using his wife as a stage prop like Clinton's post-Lewinsky Bible or Little Black Jesus' post-Kal Penn 'wife.'

wv 'amork' - mating time on Ork.

Cedarford said...

damikesc said...
Is Herman Cain a philanderer?

Do you have any evidence that he is?
================
The point I was making is that is the "unknown" the so-called 'family values conservatives' should be asking - not saying:

1. Where is the criminal evidence?
2. Well, Bill Clinton and Teddy got away with it - therefore - we should make an exception to our values for anyone running for President.

If either answer 1 or 2 reflects their thinking, not just on Cain but also the ethically challenged Newt - the religious right social conservative stuff is as big a pile of crap as the feminist wing of the Dem Party giving certain Dems passes on their pecadillos, but not others (Weiner and Spitzer).

Republicans conservatives cast out Terry Sanford on family values and Gov Christ as a closet gay - but gave passes to Vitter, Ensign, Gingrich and now it appears - possibly, to their beloved Herman.

Patrick said...

Nice company that Cain is with now -- Gary Condit and the Ramseys.

Yeah, that makes him look like a good and perfect angel.


It seems pretty silly and unaware to me to gauge any part of Cain based on opinions about his lawyers past clients. Can one read the character of a person by assessing his lawyer's client? this Cain lawyer is a sleazebag?

All sorts of wrong with thinking like that.

Patrick said...

Carol Herman Cain said

"Herman Cain's cooked."


Only if a person believes someone is guilty unless proved innocent.

In your opinion yes. In my opinion no. It is going to be an issue of truth and marketing.

Jenner said...

Looks like Lin Wood has a good track record for picking the right side of the case.

PaulV said...

Gary Condit problem was that nothing was happening that summer of 2001. The nonstory was rehashed 24-7 on the cable networks without regard for the lack of facts. Politico should reveal their source or at least admit whether it was a dirtbag democrat perty operative or not.

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