Bill O’Reilly won’t be able to spin himself out of this one. A federal judge ruled against O’Reilly’s motion to keep the settlements sealed and now we see why. Among the revelations in the agreements, O’Reilly hired a private investigator to spy on and investigate his accuser and under the terms of the agreement, she was ordered to lie, even under oath. From CNN:
The judge's ruling means that certain terms of the settlements are coming to light for the first time. A motion filed Wednesday by Neil Mullin and Nancy Erika Smith, the attorneys representing the three plaintiffs, claims that the settlement reached with Andrea Mackris, a former Fox News producer who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against O'Reilly in 2004, required her to "lie -- even in legal proceedings or under oath -- if any evidence becomes public, by calling evidence 'counterfeit' or 'forgeries.'"
Apparently the women had "audio and video tapes recording O'Reilly's harassment and abuse" that they were forced to turnover to O'Reilly as part of the settlement.
Incredibly, the unsealed records show outrageously unethical behavior from the lawyer representing Andrea Mackris in the original case. He abruptly switched sides in the middle of negotiations and went to work for O’Reilly!
The filing asserts that Mackris' attorney, Benedict Morelli, switched sides and agreed to become O'Reilly's lawyer while negotiating the agreement."This profoundly unethical conflict left Ms. Mackris virtually without legal counsel," the filing said. Morelli did not respond to a request for comment.
What did that cost Bill O’Reilly and Fox News? O’Reilly also hired well-known loudmouthed Fox contributor and longtime private investigator Bo Dietl to investigate Mackris.
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