Herman Cain Accuser's Attorney Makes Statement On Sexual Harassment Allegations

WASHINGTON -- A lawyer for a woman who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment while both worked at the National Restaurant Association says she complained about a "series of inappropriate behaviors" in good faith and accepted a financial agreement.

Joel Bennett told reporters that his client stands by the complaint she made a decade ago even though Cain has said the allegations were baseless. Bennett says his client disagrees with the statements Cain has made. He wouldn't say how much money she received.

Bennett says the woman doesn't want to divulge specifics of the behavior or her identity.

He says his client sees no value in revisiting the complaint from 1999.

The National Restaurant Association confirmed there was an agreement with the woman.

Statement from the National Restaurant Association:

"We have seen the statement Joel Bennett released earlier today on behalf of his client, a former employee of the Association. The Association consented to the release of that statement, at the request of Mr. Bennett's client.

"Based upon the information currently available, we can confirm that more than a decade ago, in July 1999, Mr. Bennett's client filed a formal internal complaint, in accordance with the Association's existing policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment. Mr. Herman Cain disputed the allegations in the complaint. The Association and Mr. Bennett's client subsequently entered into an agreement to resolve the matter, without any admission of liability. Mr. Cain was not a party to that agreement. The agreement contains mutual confidentiality obligations. Notwithstanding the Association's ongoing policy of maintaining the privacy of all personnel matters, we have advised Mr. Bennett that we are willing to waive the confidentiality of this matter and permit Mr. Bennett's client to comment. As indicated in Mr. Bennett's statement, his client prefers not to be further involved with this matter and we will respect her decision.

"The Association has robust policies designed to ensure that employees with concerns may bring them forward for prompt investigation and resolution, without risk of retaliation. The Association is fully committed to equal employment opportunity and to an environment that is free from any discrimination or harassment."

UPDATE: The Cain campaign has released the following statement:

“We look forward to focusing our attention on the real issues impacting this country — like fixing this broken economy and putting Americans back to work through our 9-9-9 Plan, as well as strengthening national security.”

 

 

Comments

[Earfling]

07:07 PM on 11/07/2011

The story gallops on, leaving even OWS in the dust.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch:
More, not fewer, dying in our Commander-In-Chief's version of the Afghan War.
Powerful Dem and Bam Bud, Jon Corzine bails on his bankrupt MF Global, leaving 630 million unaccounted for. All lost in the dust of the ebony pizza man.

[Trecia Watson]

08:57 AM on 11/07/2011

If this woman received a settlement, why is she bringing up something that 'was settled.' She got what she wanted then, and she should not be rehashing the past. She should not be legally permitted to benefit again from the same 'alleged insult.'

[belldn3]

10:11 AM on 11/06/2011

We all know Cain molested her. Then paid her to keep quiet.

[Arlene Faile]

11:15 AM on 11/08/2011

Yeah, paid her then one more person oops two more women but he did no wrong, whatever! People do not understand what being molested does to a person and then to condemn them for not coming out sooner is a low blow. Like you said "We all know Cain molested her " and the other two as well. F&F

[belldn3]

09:42 PM on 11/08/2011

Then lied and said he didn't know anything about a settlement, later changed it and said yes, there was an agreement. To him a settlement and agreement are two different things.

[terz81]

09:32 AM on 11/06/2011

its a nuisance settlement.

[Herbert Woodbery]

09:35 PM on 11/09/2011

What Cain is accused of doing is more than being a nuisance.

[terz81]

06:34 AM on 11/10/2011

if it were true.
my point is that all five and I believe they are not stupid people did not go to the authorities
in this case the (Police) where the alleged incidents occured. and with in a given time period that they occured.
One of the five who settled most likely wenmt to her attorney who told her to file a complaint with the National Restraunt Association , took no further action other than that
the fact of the matter is the Accussed in our system is innocent until roven guilty beyound a reasonible doubt in criminal court civil courts work all to gether differently no matter
what if you are involved in a civil action your going to pay it then becomes degree.
not long after my father retired he became a private investigator and we had a case that made the national news during the coarse of this investigation a local print reporter
folowed the old man around there was over one hundred hours of interview tape plus
dozens of pages of notes, a article comes out about this case in the article it quotes
my father as saying these two police officers were known to have beatin suspects in the past, there was only one problem my father never said that and its never been found on that hundred hours of tape or in the reporters notes the paper retracted the statement but it was to late they sued and it cost dad $11,000.00 total

[terz81]

06:43 AM on 11/10/2011

A perfect example of a criminal action in whch O.J. Simpson the former NfL Player was not guilty of the murdrs of his ex-wife and her boy friend.

However in Civil Court he was found libel for the murders of his ex-wife and her boyfriend.

The words not guilty I believe are the key words in the murder case that cost him in the civil action, because it leaves doubt, if they had said he was innocent of all said charges
there would not have been a civilk action.

In Mr. Cains case it appears the word libel was not used at all that means then they did not prove their case and it was a nuisance payment.

[terz81]

09:26 AM on 11/06/2011

Bennet's side started this they claimed harassment of a non sexual nature.
Now they want to change their tune and claim sexual harassment.
furthermore it is reported that the settlement was for $35,000.00
its a nuisance issue. Mr Cain has a legal right to face his accuser
Mr. Bennet last I checked is not the accuser, why isnt the accuser coming forward?
about twenty two years ago My father was a retired cop and became a private investigator
and was working a cold case that drew media attention both locally and nationally, in a local
interview a reporter interviewed him for some time, in fact there was one hundred hours of interview tape, any ways a story comes out in a magazine printed by this paper and it states
that my father said these two police officers were known to have beaten suspects in the passed
and or rough-housed suspects as well, He read the article and lost his composure for a few minutes and called this reporter, The issue was Dad never said that and never made any such claim, I know I was with them a good part of the time, the officers in question filed suite of coarse
and in the months that followed it was proven my father had not made any such statement, all
one hundred hours of interview tape were played as well as going through the reporters notes
in the end it still cost dad eleven thousand dollars.

[gop4obama]

06:50 AM on 11/06/2011

If you want to hang out, you've got to pay her out, Koch's Cain.

Apologies to Eric Clapton.

[ONLYGRAYCLOUDS]

01:13 AM on 11/06/2011

Is it fair to say cain is not a trustworthy person ? and is it fair to say he is koch bought because he admitted it?!

[ntmessage]

05:56 PM on 11/05/2011

These charges are a lot of nonsense. On the other hand sexual abuse, attempted rape and other things are going on at OWS. No coverage, because the media thinks they are politically correct! Laughable. Those covering it are playing it down as a few gropes here and there. Really credible, man. No wonder the public is with Cain.

[janthewordnerd]

06:27 PM on 11/05/2011

Oh, and by the way, so far no "gropes" reported.

Do you have inside knowledge, Mr. Cain?

[ntmessage]

10:32 AM on 11/06/2011

Of course there are! News stories on the radio in NYC and locally. Ignoring them? Misleading people with assertions is not nice.

[janthewordnerd]

06:27 PM on 11/05/2011

Being forced to leave a job is nonsense.

Great. Hope it happens to you.

[hatenomor]

04:30 PM on 11/05/2011

We know what happened and why these claims where settled. He called one woman Darling, and she got a settlement­. He told another woman that she was the size of his wife. She also recieved a settlement­.
So what else do we need to know?

If that is enough to make you not vote for the man, so be it. Just stop making more out of this than it actually is.

Anyway, I thought that clinton had made sexual harrassement legal? Is it only legal for white presidents, and not for black presidential candidates?

[janthewordnerd]

06:14 PM on 11/05/2011

I hate it when people show up late in the third quarter.

[hatenomor]

06:47 PM on 11/05/2011

And what you hate or don't hate is important. why?

[Paul OhioSprtzfan Sink]

10:57 PM on 11/05/2011

So you think settlements were actually payed out because a man called a woman "Darling",and another got paid off just because a man,Cain,said you are the size of my wife?
How long have you been in the work-force?And has it ever involved retail/grocery/restraurants?

[hatenomor]

11:20 PM on 11/05/2011

I have been in the workforce since the seventies, chief. Those types of settlements happen all the time. So stop blowing smoke up my a**

[shanefox]

04:29 PM on 11/05/2011

I sure hope that any of the wolrd's leaders or heads of state, aren't women.

Was he born in the United States or one of its territories? Has he released this questionable document?

Is he still a virgin, does he allude to questionable mannerisms or is he just a user of quasi-suggestible behavior? Was he against the ERA amendment? If he doesn't positively interact with women, what is his "lifestyle?"

Whoops! I forgot,..he's 1) He's a male and an automatic member of the "Good Old-Boy's Club", and, 2) He's a Republican't...

And, "Too many Koch's will spoil the broth."

[janthewordnerd]

03:56 PM on 11/05/2011

Attorney: A Second Woman Asked Me About Suing Cain

"Joel Bennett, the attorney for one of the woman who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment while he was CEO of the National Restaurant Association, says that a second woman contacted him to explore the possibility of suing Cain on similar grounds before deciding against it.

“[She said] that she was sexually harassed by Herman Cain when she worked at NRA,” he told TPM. “I called her back and she said she decided not to pursue it.”.

Bennett told reporters on Friday that his client, who filed a complaint and reached a settlement with the NRA, didn’t want to go through the painful process of retelling her story even as she stood by her claim. But he added that the existence of other accusers was a telltale sign regarding Cain’s behavior.

“There’s an expression where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” he said. “The fact that there are multiple complaints tells me it’s more likely than not that there was some sexual harassment activity by this man at that time.”

Asked if Cain’s continued denials could convince his client to come public later on, Bennett told TPM he had “no reason to believe she’d change her mind” but that he wouldn’t rule anything out. ..."

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/attorney-woman-asked-about-suing-cain-for-harassment-backed-down.php?ref=fpa

[ntmessage]

06:01 PM on 11/05/2011

Hersay and nonsense. If there was a real issue why was no legal charge or police report filed?

[janthewordnerd]

06:40 PM on 11/05/2011

Would you file a police report or go to court if a male boss hit on you?

[janthewordnerd]

06:45 PM on 11/05/2011

Oh, and sexual harassment isn't a statutory crime.

Why does it not surprise me that you didn't know that?

[ImAHawkeye]

07:46 AM on 11/06/2011

Attorney Bennett managed to hit every main stream media stop, but for some reason Mark Levin couldn't get past his secretary.

[janthewordnerd]

02:27 PM on 11/05/2011

Those of you who claim that these women are not believable (and who, strangely enough, also claim there is not enough information about what they experienced), read this:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/11/what-women-say-cain-did/44560/

And those of you whining about their choice to remain anonymous please change your HuffPo user ID to your real names, or your comments will be disregarded.

[hatenomor]

04:42 PM on 11/05/2011

I went to your site and low and behold, it said nothing not already known. Nothing rises to the level of sexual harrassment. Because a man makes some woman uncomfortable, does not make that man a harrasser. Apperantly the only time these issues surfaced was while he worked at the Resturant asssoc. Nothing before, nothing after. And seeing as how the polico reported is a known Soros puppet, I can only conclude that some on the left are engaging in another media lynching of a proud conservative black man.
What do Cain, Thomas and Malcolm X have in common? All were black conservatives who have been lynched by the white liberal medial That is my opinion, as a proud black man.

[janthewordnerd]

06:42 PM on 11/05/2011

>> What do Cain, Thomas and Malcolm X have in common?

[NamVet 822]

10:48 AM on 11/06/2011

I just now went to the site you posted and it does not prove anything. The more I read about these "allegations" the more suspect I become of their validity.

[ewing1936]

02:22 PM on 11/05/2011

This incident happened in July 1999 - it is now November 2011 almost 12-1/2 years ago WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL

submitted 11/05 - 11:20 PDT

[janthewordnerd]

02:47 PM on 11/05/2011

I faved you because I loved this ridiculous post.

[LeftLeanWing]

04:34 PM on 11/05/2011

The Big Deal... ? The Big DEAL is that Herman Cain is running for the Presidency of the United States of American.......... and Justice For All.... !

[janthewordnerd]

02:19 PM on 11/05/2011

Donald Chase for Commentor of the Year:

"During the time this was all supposedly taking place to even offer to open the door for these burn your bra liberated females was considered condescend­ing and sexist. I know because I was in the Army at the time and had to teach the sensitivit­y classes which in themselves were total BS!"

I hope the Army has changed its "Fox in the Hen House" approach.

[ihsxps]

03:54 PM on 11/05/2011

Jan you are brilliant! I second the nomination.

[FGDinVA]

01:39 PM on 11/05/2011

How many hours will you wait to release my comment? Until it's on page 34?

[smcircle]

02:08 PM on 11/05/2011

We do not necessarily have to break Huff Post rules to be censored or delayed. The delays are to make our comments ineffective or unrelated and the censorship are to show how they disagree with what we say...

[rodneyvgt]

03:51 PM on 11/05/2011

sure that is true it can take up to 2 hours to post

[smcircle]

02:15 PM on 11/05/2011

Lets put all the posts we disagree with on several pages later so it becomes ineffective and it wont be reliant to whats on that page. The rest we do not like we will just censor and no0t post.this is our restrictive journalism policies... HUFF POST.....