We first heard last week a rumor that the woman accusing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault wanted to drop the case but that her lawyer, Calvin Dunlap, had strongly advised her against it.
We opted at the time not to mention it here, since we weren’t sure how widespread the rumor truly was.
But we’ve heard the rumor again this morning from a completely separate source, and based on recent developments in the case we’re now convinced that the recent push by Roethlisberger to leverage the accuser into walking away suggests that his lawyers believe that the accuser is indeed wavering.
(By the way, some of you have objected to our characterization of recent statements made in briefs filed on behalf of Roethlisberger as being made by Roethlisberger himself. Though the words are coming from his lawyers, they are speaking on his behalf. Thus, their words are his words. So, for example, when the lawyers say that the accuser is mentally unstable, then Roethsliberger himself is making that assertion. We realize that the use of such strong words might not mesh with the image that some fans have of Roethlisberger. In our view, however, pretending that the words aren’t really his isn’t the best way to come to terms with the reality that, right or wrong, Roethlisberger is indeed using very strong terms to defend himself.)
The lengthy filing that Roethlisberger made on August 21 in support of his motion to dismiss the case suggests that his lawyers might have caught wind of the rumor right here. Not in an official story on the site, but from a comment posted in response to one of our stories from last week.
The potential risk, in our view, is that by pushing the accuser so aggressively to drop the case, Roethlisberger might eventually cause her to decide to stand firm and fight. (For more on this specific dynamic of the human condition, rent or buy Changeling on DVD.)
The accuser’s final decision in this regard might largely hinge on whether the accuser really is telling the truth. If she isn’t, the smart move would be to throw in the towel and move on.
The problem is that Dunlap possibly has inserted language into his standard fee agreement that would require the plaintiff to reimburse him for all out-of-pocket expenses incurred if the plaintiff acts against Dunlap’s advice. So if the plaintiff wants out, she might need to write Dunlap a check bigger than what she can afford. (Typically, the plaintiff’s expenses and legal fees are paid from any settlement or judgment, with no cost to the plaintiff if the case ultimately fails.)
That’s why we now think the best move for Roethlisberger would be to dangle a chunk of the money he has been spending on legal fees of his own (which are paid by the hour, usually monthly) for a quick and quiet settlement, with very strong language ensuring that the plaintiff and Dunlap will keep the settlement a secret. The goal wouldn’t be to make the plaintiff rich, but to give the plaintiff and Dunlap a popcorn trail out of this mess in a manner that allows both of them to save face.
The presence of multiple other defendants complicates the process, however. But we think it should be fairly easy for Harrah’s and Roethlisberger to put together a nuisance-level settlement package and resolve this thing under circumstances that will appear to be an abandonment by the plaintiff — if she also will agree to publicly exonerate Roethlisberger as part of the deal.
So even though Roethlisberger has adopted an extremely aggressive approach, he arguably has been too aggressive to permit a dismissal with no strings attached. If he decides to soften his defense in the short term, he might be able to put this thing behind him via a settlement that, to the average person, would look like a complete and total vindication.
Changeling was awesome. I would do bad things to Angelina Jolie.
Roethlisberger defending his reputation in an agressive manner doesn’t tarnish his image in the eyes of true Steeler fans. That is what we expect. We know BY THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED THUS FAR that he did not do this. It doesn’t make sense. We support his right to defend himself agressively as he chooses.
Go Steelers!
Any settlement that involves this woman getting one dime should not be considered. Then again, Florio is the lawyer, I think I need a shower after reading his thoughts.
Wake me when it’s over.
And bring back the ratings.
“That’s why we now think the best move for Roethlisberger would be to dangle a chunk of the money he has been spending on legal fees of his own (which are paid by the hour, usually monthly) for a quick and quiet settlement, with very strong language ensuring that the plaintiff and Dunlap will keep the settlement a secret. The goal wouldn’t be to make the plaintiff rich, but to give the plaintiff and Dunlap a popcorn trail out of this mess in a manner that allows both of them to save face.”
It would be a cold day in hell before I would pay somebody anything if they falsely accused me of something. I would spend my last dime defending myself and making sure they didn’t get one penny from me.
You “opted” not to mention last week that Roethlisberger’s accuser was considering dropping her case?
Huh?!?
Is this the same site that ragged mercilessly on ESPN for witholding information about the case when it broke? Clearly, you have no compunction about having a double standard, since your anti-Roethlisberger bias of the last several years is evident.
Why should Roethlisberger settle if she made the whole thing up? If she did, the least thing she should worry about is reimbursing the attorney for his expenses. Which at this point is the filing fee and the service fees. Hardly a huge amount.
Mike, I usually agree with your legal expertise and opinion, but in this case, I have to disagree 100%. My opinion is that any type of settlement, secret or not, will damage Big Ben’s reputation. He can NOT afford to settle this out of court, nor can he afford to do anything except what he is doing. I think he has played his cards perfectly, and, as it appears he is likely in the right here, he should continue to pressure the woman and especially her lawyer, into submission.
Why settle? She has already harmed his reputation by exposing some of the things he did in his personal life. Some people will have a different opinion of Ben just for some of the things he has said he did do.
And let me be clear here…I hate the Steelers…I still hate the chin…I hate Big Ben. But his only course of action here is to fight to the bitter end. Period.
The world has too many lawyers.
Florio,
) .. So in reality, maybe one of your intrepid readers can clue me in …
You’re a lawyer, so maybe you can answer this (even though you never answer questions here, ya big jerk.
If the plaintiff wins a lawsuit, his or her legal fees are paid out of the settlement … but if the plaintiff loses, the defendant is still on the hook for his or her fees, right? Why don’t we have a “loser pays” provision in civil matters? It doesn’t seem quite fair that, no matter how the dice land, the defendant is gonna get hosed. Or am I missing something?
If Roethlisberger is innocent, I hope that he does not agree to any settlement. Any settlement will always cause some doubt as to whether he did rape her.
If Roesthlisberger is guilty, he should be incarcerated. But, at this point, there is no way that he would ever be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt let alone found liable by perponderance of the evidence.
If the plaintiff and her attorney are guilty of knowingly bringing a frivilous lawsuit. They should get a lot worse than what they are getting now.
Eh…Changeling was okay, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Is it too early to say I TOLD YOU SO?
Ben is innocent get over it haters…
I have to disagree with your suggestion of settlement. You’re analyzing this case like it’s a run of the mill personal injury case. There are things far more valuable at stake, i.e. Rothlesburger’s reputation. If, as you assume, she is lieing, then he should push this to trial. 100k in legal fees is a wise investment to save his reputation, and endorsements and good name. Any wiff of a settlement, no matter what the terms, will make Rothlesburger look guilty in the eyes of many in the public, and will stay with him the rest of his life and career. (See Michael Jackson multi million dollar settlement to the kid who said he molested him). As for the standard agreement, most contingency fee attorneys in my area (Central Illinios) don’t go back to their clients for costs when they drop a case. It’s bad business. So I don’t suspect that is the top motivation for keeping the case going.
I disagree, don’t give her ANYTHING. She should suffer the consequences of what now (and pretty much always has) looks to be a suit based on lies cooked up by a person with a disturbed mind looking for a pay day. Make her pay for it.
Seriously Florio? You’re contempt for Ben/Pittsburgh is achingly transparent. And way to talk down to your readers as if they were the unwashed masses. Thanks for explaining the “inner workings and thought process” of this incredibly complex and complicated scenario.
Nice impartial reporting. Way to respect your readership. Very professional.
Oh yeah, Ben might very well be innocent of rape, but one thing we know he is guilty of……
BIG BEN LOVES HIM SOME UGLY WOMEN!!!
You can’t set aside the personality of the lawyers here. The defendant in this case is being defended by a lawyer famous in Nevada for his “scorched Earth” style of attack. He is also the attorney for the Nevada’s First Lady in her bitter divorce case against the Governor.
Big Ben is playing it right by being aggressive. No living in fear and no settlement for crazy lady who has been harassing him and his family for a year. If you were in the same position, you would settle Florio??? If so, pls call me to fix your cable…I want some of that new NBC money
Now I’m no legal guru like you Florio. However, if I’m innocent, I fight this thing with everything I have. There’s no chance I give any type of settlement to keep her quiet. That only implies guilt. I saw fight her with everything you have and keep the aggressive approach up. She’ll be embarrassed (as she should be, anyone who has sympathy for a woman who falsely accuses men of rape is pathetic) and have to drop the suit or lose the suit.
The charge of rape is very aggressive and should not be fought with anything less in return.
Michael Jackson agreed to a settlement and he was innocent.
Hey where’s that “Big Ben Sexgate rolls on!” clown when you need him?
Poor Ben, he had to shell out money for lawyers fees when he could have used a personal dietician and a Tony Little workout DVD.
What a fatty!
I think the world would be a better place if folks stopped dangling money. It goes w/o saying it would also be better if sharks stopped making such stoopid suggestions, but…
Mr. Florio, we respectfully disagree.
This looks like a rear naked choke to me…
Let’s see. Florio attacks Ben anytime he tries to defend himself and now he’s saying Ben should settle?
BS! If I were innocent (in America we presume that until proven guilty) I would fight as hard as possible and I would never settle.
Florio just wants him to settle so he’ll have that appearance of guilt.
“Empire Jones says:
August 26, 2009 10:46 AM
Michael Jackson agreed to a settlement and he was innocent. ”
And to this day, there are a lot of people who think he was guilty because of that.
Part of the deal also includes finding her stuffed in a suit case sans teeth and fingers…
@YouGuysAreIdiots
I’m not sure why you are hammering that point? Different people have different tastes, so what?
“By the way, some of you have objected to our characterization of recent statements made in briefs filed on behalf of Roethlisberger as being made by Roethlisberger himself. ”
While this is true, my problem is that you use a double standard. When McNutty’s lawyer says something you report it as “Dunlap says”, but if Ben’s lawyer says something you report it as “Ben says”. At least be consistant.
A story about a rumor about a rumor.
How can I get a job writing for this rag?
“….# Empire Jones says: August 26, 2009 10:46 AM
Michael Jackson agreed to a settlement and he was innocent…”
A $25 million out of court “settlement” says a lot of things. “I’m innocent” is NOT one of them.
Michael Wackson was not innocent BTW……and Shakespeare was right “Kill all the lawyers”…..
and Big Ben should pay something for not learning
that you don’t bang every psycho ho that knows who u are
The plaintiff obviously expected a quick under-the-table settlement months ago. This lawsuit was a money grab plain & simple.
And yeah, how can a defense against a false claim of sexual assault can be “too aggressive”?? Like others have said, I’d fight it to my last nickel. And then I’d spend the wooden nickels.
If the plaintiff’s attorney is pressuring his client to move forward anyway, simply to get his fee (re: speculation on the fee agreement), he should be disbarred. He’s not working for his client’s best interest. If she’s stuck with a huge bill, oh f-ing well.
“….Roethlisberger’s accuser wants to drop suit…”
Wow, you’d think a news story like that would warrant a front page headline in all local Pittsburgh news sites. Still, none even mention it.
There goes Florio, making shit up again.
Tomorrow’s PFT headline:
“Andrea McNulty doesn’t even exist! Suit filed online by impersonator & disgruntled Browns fan Bubba Joe Burdett”
If I were acccused and were innocent of the crime which I believe he is (not saying he did not sleep with her, but that he did not rape her), I would fight with every resource I had available. The accusation of rape will follow him forever if she is not proven to be a liar. If he settles it will also send a message that it is okay to falsely accuse someone of a crime if you benefit monetarily. She should have to prove his guilt in a criminal proceeding before she can go after him in a civil court. I believe she saw her golden ticket and was going to take for a ride as long as she could. It is my hope that she is exposed for what she is … a complete and absolute liar.
Ben offered to pay her legal fees in full, on the record, as part of the first settlement proposal — that she drop the suit and write a letter of apology — which expired last week. She didn’t respond. Too bad for her, since that, in my view, was the only chance she will have at ever seeing one red cent from Ben.
He has handled this nonsense perfectly from the outset, and I think he will continue to do so right up until the day it goes away forever.
“….# savagenation says: August 26, 2009 11:40 AM
..Big Ben should pay something for not learning
that you don’t bang every psycho ho that knows who u are…”
Sooooo, you’re suggesting he should only bang psycho hos that don’t know who he is?
You gotta be from Cleveland.
With the consequences involved from this accusation, the thought that he’s defending himself too vigorously is ludicrous.
Vox, if you’re reading this ludicrous means absurd- it’ll show up on your spelling test this year some time.
Ben’s reputation has already been slightly sullied by the mere allegation. He has two considerations; reputation and money. Even if he’s 100% innocent, his reputation will be further damaged by this case continueing Therefore if he can break even, so to speak, by giving her a small settlement, it’s the wise business choice. That said, I hope he’s innocent and it turns my stomach to think she would get a penny and she should suffer if she’s making it up
Cue the moronic comments from Vox Veritas in 3,2,1….
I came away with a few observations after reading this article:
1. Florio is better at practicing law than Rapistberger’s lawyer.
2. Clients are never guided by their lawyer’s “suggestions” but rather tell them exactly what to say and do.
3. Sports stars’ lawyers read the comments section of PFT and use it to determine how best to proceed in their case.
I understand the whole ‘News and Rumors’ concept, but the way you write these idiotic concepts it’s almost as if you believe them whole-heartedly. First, I doubt you could make make anything close to partner in each of these lawyers’ firms. Second, I have dealt with my own attorneys and they ALWAYS suggested how to proceed and I more often than not just nodded my head in agreement. As for the last observation I commend you. It took me 2 whole minutes to stop laughing and it totally made my day.
Whatever Rapelisberger did is up for debate. The big issue is for any team that plays the Steelers on ESPN. ESPN is clearly biased toward Pittsburgh and Rapelisberger by not initially reporting the rape charges. This makes it very possible that ESPN would prefer the Steelers to win whenever they are on their channel. I bet Ed Hoculee will be reffing those Monday Night Games the Bristol Steelers will be playing.
The newspaper headlines should read: “GREEN SNOW IN HELL MYSTIFIES THE EXPERTS” before Ben Settles with his accuser. Go the distance to prove accusations are false and fueled by hope for payoff.
Florio, your comments encouraging Ben to pay the woman off disgust me.
His offer to cover her legal bills and submit to counceling are far more than she should receive.
Think for one minute about the pain and embarrassment she has caused someone who absolutely did not deserve it.
Two sides to this…none favor the plaintiff. But if the lawsuit will go away and Ben can get back to concentrating on the upcoming season, if I were him, I’d pay her legal fees on the condition that she publically announce an appolgy to Ben for drumming up this rediculous law suit. Or….Ben files a countersuit for defamation. The latter would of course drag this thing out even more. Tough Call.
Florio, your talking about this as a lawyer. Roethlisberger shouldn’t give this nut one cent.
He should attack her and her lawyer for breaking the law.
Don’t protect her lawyer, the guy’s barking up a tree that he has not right in doing so. He didn’t do his job and he’s now going to pay for it.
Lawyers suck.
Ben Rapistberger = a horrible travesty of justice.
Florio, best decision you ever made was to quit the legal profession, because your legal “advice” is downright lousy.
There are a variety of situations where pre-trial settlement is the best option a client can do, even if the defendant is completely innocent. For example to limit legal expenses, to prevent the disclosure of additional embarassing info, etc, etc.
This is not one of those situations.
Other than murder, and child molestation, there pretty much isnt anything that is more damaging to your character than a accusation of rape. If you are innocent, have vast financial resources, and mountains of evidence that support your position, there really is only 1 option —defend aggressively.
I think it’s fair to assume that based on the actions of Ben’s lawyers, there is NO video tape that could corroborate her story. Given that she is also suing practically all of her co-workers and her best friend, didnt file a police report, didnt go to the hospital…what evidence is she going to be able to produce to support her claim????
And that doesnt even scratch the surface with the fact that she’s a certified wacko, enjoys sleeping with married men (both real and fictional), is an admitted sex addict…um, yea..find me 12 jurors who are going to agree with her.
Florio is flat out wrong. As skylark said, “Ben offered to pay her legal fees in full, on the record, as part of the first settlement proposal — that she drop the suit and write a letter of apology — which expired last week.” I think the offer is probably still open, although they did say it expired. He has given her every opportunity to walk away without it costing her a dime.
@FBGeek77 The defendant can get their legal fees back, although generally they won’t. In this case, Ben may end up making money with his defamation claim.
Roethlisberger cannot go to trial no matter what. He likely had sex with her (perhaps consensual ala Kobe style) and the sordid details of that encounter that would come out on the stand will taint him forever. He says consensual, she says not, but no matter what a jury says, a good part of the public will always have doubt.
Quite frankly, if she is indeed lying, I would not give her a cent. She deserves whatever she gets. If she goes to trial and it’s proven she lied, I would sue her for defamation of character and go after her attorney as well. Too many of these types of cases are settled out of court leaving us to wonder if it really was true. If he’s innocent, pound them into the ground with no mercy.
tj.52 says:
August 26, 2009 1:10 PM
Ben Rapistberger = a horrible travesty of justice.
————————————-
No, the “travesty” is how obviously flimsy this woman’s case is, and how obviously Roethlisberger probably didn’t do this. Which from the sounds of it will be confirmed awfully soon.
Then we will forever quote this fool tj.52 — will he have the balls to admit he’s wrong, and apologize for his character -smearing name of “rapistberger”? Or will he go on like 99 percent of the ball-less, spineless population, who never own up to their own responsibility, and have helped to drag this country down, sullying the memory of previous generations who have sacrificed so much for us? Who have taken responsibility for their actions?
tj is proof the younger generation really is the cowardly, lazy, sloppy, worthless slob-herd that our elders say we are. He’s a disgrace, and embarrasses us all before them. He’s the same guy that watches tabloid TV and plays endless hours of PlayStation, slack-jawed as handles his own joystick, oblivious to the world of real news.
Nothing will ever change that.
Just like nothing will change the fact that Ray “O.J.” Lewis, unlike Ben, really DOES have something to answer for legally. Tell me, tj, who wore the orange jumpsuit? Whose mugshot is all over the net, for all to see?
What a disgrace.
# tj.52 says: August 26, 2009 1:10 PM
Ben Rapistberger = a horrible travesty of justice.
——————————————————————-
Just because he raped the Ravens 3 times last year doesn’t mean he’s an actual rapist, dude.
p.s. if the accuser was interested in ‘justice’, she’d have gone to the cops. but that’s probably a tough thing to do when you’re making false accusations.
Frank Burns says: August 26, 2009 2:03 PM
Just like nothing will change the fact that Ray “O.J.” Lewis, unlike Ben, really DOES have something to answer for legally. Tell me, tj, who wore the orange jumpsuit? Whose mugshot is all over the net, for all to see?
———————————————————————–
And who could forget about his boy Jamal ‘Tony Montana’ Lewis….?
We could also talk about his rookie getting into it with the cops last week, but I think I’ll reserve judgment until all the facts are in.
hey tj.52…
Ray Lewis murder anyone lately?
@ BrownsFan
Some may doubt that Ben is innocent. But one thing all of the public can agree upon is that the Browns suck.
Go Steelers!
For those of you who are advising to Big Ben to stick to his guns and not pay a penny to a lying (fill in your adjective describing the woman here), I have this to say:
You’ve never been involved in a legal dispute.
I was accused regarding a workplace issue and the case was taken up by the attorney general of the state where i live in. i was offered ‘arbitration’ first, so i went that route. even though the mediators in that meeting agreed that i did nothing wrong and also that i had proof that i did nothing wrong and that the other party was trying to game the system, i was gently told that if I offered a sum of money that covered the expense of transportation, food and lodging, and a hourly rate for the person who accused me, it would go a long way to getting the issue behind me.
SO I DID. I offered to make a small payment to just get the thing off my mind and out of my life.
Did I ever get an apology? NO
Did I pay the person? YES, the check was cashed.
That was the end. Whew. Now I could just get on with my life and know that the other person was an idiot.
A year went by and I get something in the mail that looks official and this time its from the UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERALS office and that they have received a complaint. Again, it started, and I had to pay a lawyer to represent me, and letters were sent back and forth and back and forth.
I would tell Big Ben to pay the woman so she can pay her attorney, have the woman and the attorney sign a document that they won’t pursue this in any way shape or form in any court on the planet and get his life back.
I don’t care if she doesn’t apologize. They were both in that hotel room. Something happened and to ask a woman to work on audio/visual equipment is ridiculous.
PAY HER.
Can’t people read my sarcasm regarding that pedophile Michael Jackson?
Jesus Christ… not only a tough room… but a dumb one to boot.
Big Ben Rapistberger loves the uglies!
i love how the steelers fans talk about ravens fans besmirching roethlisberger’s name then go and call ray lewis a murderer. neither of them did the crime but because you both hate each other’s team you cry rapist or murderer.
Settlement is a smart course of action in a private dispute.
She has already done all the damage she can do (assuming Roth is, as it seems, innocent).
If he settles, people will ask “why did he settle” just like they did in the Michael Jackson cases. His reputation, Q rating, all that jazz, will suffer considerably.
She probably has mental health issues, but, for the sake of his reputation, and the millions of dollars that flow to him and the Steelers as a result of that reputation, he cannot afford to settle.
Florio is taking a conventional approach to an unconventional problem.
I applaud his defense. If this was consensual, as it sounds, then they are both responsible for their actions. Sounds like she didn’t get the relationship she wanted from him so she has tried to extort him. I wouldn’t give her any financial settlement if I was him. There is no way that it would stay secret. He already said she could admit she lied and drop it or he would pay for a psychiatric evaluation. Mr. Dunlap should’ve learned more before taking this case.
@Democrats
Who is your team? You sound like you are jealous of the rivalries that we have in the AFC North. We even have great rivalries with our scrubs from Ohio.
Every now and then I slip in here to see what chit Florio is spewing. This will be my last trip, and those of you that would like to see Florio vanish, stop coming here. I doubt his bosses read the comments, they just look at the hits his site gets. He apparently sucked at being a lawyer, and is doing no better as a reporter or journalist.
Whatever the outcome, it remains to be seen. I do however agree with everyone that said fight this to the end. Only a lawyer would tell you to pay up when you are innocent.
What do you call 10,000 lawyers on the bottom of the ocean??
A GOOD START!!
I don’t like little Ben; not even a little. He’s a whinny, little brat on and off the field. He looks like an ugly dough boy with out the cute. He’s actually the type who would rape.. He thinks he’s above it all.
That said; it does seem a little shady. Why wait a year. The accuser if this is true didn’t help herself at all. Its one of those things that will never fall out, we will never know the truth. He said, she said means nothing. I don’t like the creep but; without proof – it goes his way.
Next time and if he did it there will be a next time, maybe the woman will be smarter, I hope.
My favorite team are the Calgary Stampeders
@ 1 and done
Very funny
@ Dems/RepubsAreBothStupid
This is ProFootballTalk. So take your Pop Warner team and long Healtcare lines back to Canada. eh?
Frank Burns says: No, the “travesty” is how obviously flimsy this woman’s case is, and how obviously Roethlisberger probably didn’t do this. Which from the sounds of it will be confirmed awfully soon.Then we will forever quote this fool tj.52 — will he have the balls to admit he’s wrong, and apologize for his character -smearing name of “rapistberger”? Or will he go on like 99 percent of the ball-less, spineless population, who never own up to their own responsibility, and have helped to drag this country down, sullying the memory of previous generations who have sacrificed so much for us? Who have taken responsibility for their actions?tj is proof the younger generation really is the cowardly, lazy, sloppy, worthless slob-herd that our elders say we are. He’s a disgrace, and embarrasses us all before them. He’s the same guy that watches tabloid TV and plays endless hours of PlayStation, slack-jawed as handles his own joystick, oblivious to the world of real news.
Nothing will ever change that.Just like nothing will change the fact that Ray “O.J.” Lewis, unlike Ben, really DOES have something to answer for legally. Tell me, tj, who wore the orange jumpsuit? Whose mugshot is all over the net, for all to see?
What a disgrace.
——————————————————-
@ Frank Burns:
Wow. I didn’t realize what a profound impact my words would have on your tender, impressionable psyche. (look it up)
First let me say that I cannot take credit for inventing the name “Rapistberger”, I only find it more amusing than my original attempt of “Rapelisberger”.
Second, I am not a Ravens fan, I am a long time Patriots fan.
Third, I do not know which generation you are refering to, but if you feel that someone who picks on your favorite QB is the reason that this country is going into the tank, maybe you should take a look in the mirror, take a look at your voting record and see exactly what the ends are that justified your means.
Fourth, you are a jackass.
DemocratsAreStupid says:
August 26, 2009 2:46 PM
i love how the steelers fans talk about ravens fans besmirching roethlisberger’s name then go and call ray lewis a murderer. neither of them did the crime but because you both hate each other’s team you cry rapist or murderer.
———————————
Like I said, you just HAVE to change that handle to “DemocratsAreStupidisStupid” or something.
Ben has not nor will ever be charged with anything in this matter. Unlike Ray. Ben has no mug shots or pics of himself in the orange jumpsuit. Unlike Ray. Bit of a difference there, Einstein. Bit of a difference.
This is Frank Burns, and I’m just tired of all the idiots.
tj.52 says:
August 26, 2009 1:10 PM
Ben Rapistberger = a horrible travesty of justice.
__________________
Remember kids, if you have anything too sniveling to post under Hayward’s login- use tj.52 .
DemocratsAreStupid -
It would appear that you like ass-whippings based on the results of elections and the Ravens -Steelers games.
“the best move for Roethlisberger would be to dangle a chunk of the money he has been spending on legal fees” – AND – “put this thing behind him via a settlement that, to the average person, would look like a complete and total vindication”
Are you insane?
Florio, what do you have against Roethlisberger and the Steelers? Are they having too much success for you?
No person in their right mind would pay someone who has wrongly accused them. I would bet that if he did pay her to go away you would have a field day implying his guilt.
1_and_done says: Every now and then I slip in here to see what chit Florio is spewing. This will be my last trip, and those of you that would like to see Florio vanish, stop coming here. I doubt his bosses read the comments, they just look at the hits his site gets. He apparently sucked at being a lawyer, and is doing no better as a reporter or journalist.
Whatever the outcome, it remains to be seen. I do however agree with everyone that said fight this to the end. Only a lawyer would tell you to pay up when you are innocent. What do you call 10,000 lawyers on the bottom of the ocean?? A GOOD START!
——————————————————-
@1_and_done:
This isn’t CNN or Fox news, it is for entertainment purposes only. Change the channel and spare us your self-righteous indignation.
@ Florio: You have to stop letting your relatives post here.
@ mrmagoo
Actually, since you chose to gratutitously bring me into this, my position has been all along that your boy Ben is probably innocent of rape…just guilty of being a stupid mess who bangs ugly chicks.
Now, since your from Pittsburgh and probably can’t read or write, tell whoever is typing on your behalf to leave my name out of things, seeing as how I have not posted on this article until now.
Thanks pal, have a good afternoon.
Mike, from recent viewing of your blog, I understand that you’re an attorney. I’d be interested in your commentary on some of the more recent filings in the case:
Specifically, what are your thoughts on Dunlap’s objection to the pro hac vice motion? (For the non-legals, it’s a procedural motion an attorney files asking to be admitted to a particular court for a particular case.)
Considering the attorney that filed the motion is with one of the nation’s largest and most well-respected law firms, at least to me, that the allegations from Ben’s camp that Dunlap’s strategy is Nifong-focused may be accurate. His objections sound like a 10 year old whining instead of a rational argument to the Court why a Morgan Lewis attorney should be precluded from the trial team.
Second, I’m not familiar with the geography of the Reno area, but I am curious about the change of venue motion and Dunlap’s arguments against it. Is the county where Dunlap filed the case the same one where he served as DA?
Please people! How did this discussion turn political?
This is a football site…….
By the way, democrats are stupid
hayward giablommi says:
August 26, 2009 5:20 PM
@ mrmagoo
Now, since your from Pittsburgh and probably can’t read or write, tell whoever is typing on your behalf to leave my name out of things, seeing as how I have not posted on this article until now.
Thanks pal, have a good afternoon.
_________________
That’d be ‘you’re’ from Pittsburgh, big guy.
I don’t generally play grammar police but when you’re implying someone can’t read or write and screw up, irony demands it.