Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Paula Jones 'Shocked' By Ruling > LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Paula Corbin Jones dared to > take the president to court -- a decision that made her > a household name across America. On Wednesday, she was > described as disappointed that her case had been thrown > out of court but respectful of the judge who did it. > > ``The one that paid dearly for this is a great heroic > woman -- Paula Corbin Jones -- who, for four years, has > endured the filth and the slime and attacks of the White > House,'' said her spokeswoman, Susan Carpenter McMillan. > > Following Wednesday's ruling that threw out her lawsuit, > Mrs. Jones remained in the gated apartment she has > occupied for the past three years with her husband, > Stephen Jones, and their children. > > ``Paula was shocked,'' said Carpenter McMillan. ``She's > disappointed. We have a lot of respect for Judge Wright. > We just strongly disagree.'' > > One of Mrs. Jones' lawyers, John Whitehead, said she > ``has not indicated that she regrets anything except not > getting her day in court.'' > > Mrs. Jones shocked the nation in February of 1994 when > she announced at a press conference in Washington that > Clinton had made sexual advances to her in a hotel room > on May 8, 1991, when he was Arkansas governor. > > A few months later, the former state worker filed her > civil suit in U.S. District Court in Little Rock, > seeking $700,000 in damages for ``willful, outrageous > and malicious conduct.'' > > Mrs. Jones was born on Sept. 17, 1966, in Lonoke, Ark., > the third daughter of an evangelical minister and his > wife. > > Since word of her allegations surfaced, Mrs. Jones' case > distracted a nation with a lawsuit that opened the door > for further questioning of women in Clinton's past. > > But Mrs. Jones also paid a price for being in the public > spotlight. She was ridiculed by the media. She was > called a puppet of right-wingers, and she became the > butt of jokes during late-night talk shows. > > The president's attorneys poked through every crevice of > her life, calling her story ``tabloid trash.'' Topless > pictures of her, taken by an ex-boyfriend, were printed > with a Penthouse magazine article that accused her of > being promiscuous before getting married. > > The trial had been scheduled to begin May 27 until U.S. > District Judge Susan Webber Wright dismissed the case, > saying Mrs. Jones' evidence fell ``far short'' of > proving sexual harassment. > > At an impromptu news conference in front of Mrs. Jones' > Long Beach harbor apartment complex, Carpenter McMillan > told reporters that she would consult with Mrs. Jones' > attorneys to determine whether any part of the judge's > decision could be appealed. > > ``We had to go all the way to the Supreme Court just to > make sure we got it tried,'' Carpenter McMillan said. > ``We'll more than likely be back before the Supreme > Court again.'' -- Two rules in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know. 2. Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
