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McDermott to pay more than $1 million in Boehner legal bills
A federal judge has ordered Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) to pay over $1
million in legal bills incurred by House Minority Leader John Boehner
(R-Ohio) in a long-running battle between the two lawmakers over a leaked
1996 phone call.
Chief Judge Thomas Hogan of the U.S. District Court for the District of
Columbia ordered McDermott to pay $1,053,181.40 in attorney's fees and
costs, plus roughly $40,000 in interest to date. The Washington Democrat
also had to cough up another $60,000 in fines. And that's on top of the
hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees that McDermott must pay his
own lawyers.
In a statement, McDermott said the legal fight - which Boehner offered at
one point to settle with a public apology and a charitable donation - was
worth it, despite the cost.
"This has been a long and costly battle but, in the final analysis, the
judgment handed down today in the U.S. District Court is a small price to
pay in defense of so fundamental a principle, and freedom, as the First
Amendment," McDermott said. "Because of this protracted legal challenge, the
First Amendment is stronger today, and shielded by new case law that will
buttress its capacity to protect the publication of truthful information on
matters of public importance long into the future. Knowing this, I am proud
of my role in defense of the First Amendment."
The dispute grew out of a illegally recorded December 1996 phone call
between House Republican leaders looking to spin an ethics case against then
Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). A Florida couple improperly taped the call,
and the tape was eventually given to McDermott, then ranking member on the
House ethics committee. McDermott leaked the tape to the press in order to
demonstrate that Republicans were not abiding by their promise not to
interfere with the Gingrich case, but the resulting media uproar led to
McDermott's decision to step down from the ethics panel.
In an unprecedented move, Boehner sued McDermott in March 1998 for violating
his privacy rights. After a long struggle that included numerous twists and
turns, Boehner won, and now McDermott must cover the Ohio Republican's legal
bills.
McDermott, however, believes he was vindicated because the press was able to
publicly disclose what GOP leaders were doing and how they were going back
on their word in the Gingrich case. News organizations filed briefs
supporting McDermott in his court fight with Boehner.
"While the amount of damages assessed in this case is significant, I submit
that defending the First Amendment is beyond measure and worth every penny,"
McDermott said. "A mere 45 words in length, the First Amendment has defined
our commitment to freedom for two centuries. And with the end of this case,
another threat against the First Amendment has been met and turned back."
You libs aren't above the law after all . Pay up!
A federal judge has ordered Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) to pay over $1
million in legal bills incurred by House Minority Leader John Boehner
(R-Ohio) in a long-running battle between the two lawmakers over a leaked
1996 phone call.
Chief Judge Thomas Hogan of the U.S. District Court for the District of
Columbia ordered McDermott to pay $1,053,181.40 in attorney's fees and
costs, plus roughly $40,000 in interest to date. The Washington Democrat
also had to cough up another $60,000 in fines. And that's on top of the
hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees that McDermott must pay his
own lawyers.
In a statement, McDermott said the legal fight - which Boehner offered at
one point to settle with a public apology and a charitable donation - was
worth it, despite the cost.
"This has been a long and costly battle but, in the final analysis, the
judgment handed down today in the U.S. District Court is a small price to
pay in defense of so fundamental a principle, and freedom, as the First
Amendment," McDermott said. "Because of this protracted legal challenge, the
First Amendment is stronger today, and shielded by new case law that will
buttress its capacity to protect the publication of truthful information on
matters of public importance long into the future. Knowing this, I am proud
of my role in defense of the First Amendment."
The dispute grew out of a illegally recorded December 1996 phone call
between House Republican leaders looking to spin an ethics case against then
Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). A Florida couple improperly taped the call,
and the tape was eventually given to McDermott, then ranking member on the
House ethics committee. McDermott leaked the tape to the press in order to
demonstrate that Republicans were not abiding by their promise not to
interfere with the Gingrich case, but the resulting media uproar led to
McDermott's decision to step down from the ethics panel.
In an unprecedented move, Boehner sued McDermott in March 1998 for violating
his privacy rights. After a long struggle that included numerous twists and
turns, Boehner won, and now McDermott must cover the Ohio Republican's legal
bills.
McDermott, however, believes he was vindicated because the press was able to
publicly disclose what GOP leaders were doing and how they were going back
on their word in the Gingrich case. News organizations filed briefs
supporting McDermott in his court fight with Boehner.
"While the amount of damages assessed in this case is significant, I submit
that defending the First Amendment is beyond measure and worth every penny,"
McDermott said. "A mere 45 words in length, the First Amendment has defined
our commitment to freedom for two centuries. And with the end of this case,
another threat against the First Amendment has been met and turned back."
You libs aren't above the law after all . Pay up!
