Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:


April 15) -- Paula  Jones will ask a federal 
 appeals court to reverse a judge's dismissal of her sexual 
 harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton, CNN has learned. 

 A formal announcement is scheduled for Thursday
 afternoon. But sources tell CNN's Bob Franken that
 after a day of haggling and argument among lawyers
 and Jones and her representatives, a decision has
 been made to proceed. 

 There has been friction between lawyers from the
 Dallas law firm that has been representing Jones, the
 Rutherford Institute -- the conservative group that
 has been financing the suit -- and Susan Carpenter
 McMillan, Jones' spokeswoman and adviser. 

 Sources say the parties will meet again Thursday
 morning to work out the final details on an agreement
 outlining the conditions under which they will proceed
 during the appeal. 

 Jones, a former Arkansas state employee, alleges
 that Clinton exposed himself and requested that she
 perform oral sex during an encounter in a Little Rock
 hotel room in 1991. Clinton was governor of
 Arkansas at the time. 

 Clinton has said he doesn't recall meeting Jones and
 has denied any wrongdoing. 

 Last month, U.S. District Judge Susan Webber
 Wright in Little Rock dismissed the suit, saying that
 even if Jones' allegations were true, Clinton's conduct
 would not meet the legal standards necessary to
 constitute sexual harassment. 

 Jones' appeal of Wright's decision will go to the 8th
 U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in St. Louis,
 which handles federal appeals from Arkansas. 

 McMillan told reporters that in deciding on whether
 to appeal, "You have to look at what's the human
 toll, what's the financial toll, what are the chances (of
 success)." 

 She noted that the St. Louis appeals court reverses
 about one-third of the cases it receives in which a
 judge dismisses a case before trial, which is called
 summary judgment. 

 "They don't like summary judgments," she said. 

 CNN plans live coverage of Jones' news conference,
 set for 2:50 p.m. EDT. 


-- 
Two rules in life:

1.  Don't tell people everything you know.
2.

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