www.justiceforchandra.com

[rd]

Glad you were able to get your thoughts in, benn. It is a win for us either way. Either Condit answers questions under oath or he settles to avoid it once again, which should already have set alarm bells ringing in Washington, D.C. investigator's offices.

rd

[rd]

Here is a slightly different take on the story of Condit's settlement with NE from Reuters. In Doyle's article, Lin Wood said they were satisfied. In this article, NE says they're satisfied. Well, I guess that's what it takes to get a settlement. :)

Still, even when you're sued for $209 million and are satisfied with a settlement, I don't think you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to make it go away while you're still seeking dismissal of the suit. I think Condit is petrified of discovery, so to speak.

rd


from www.hollywoodreporter.com (fair use)

Sep. 11, 2004

Condit, tabs settle suit over Levy stories

By Reuters
SAN FRANCISCO -- The National Enquirer, Globe and Star tabloid newspapers have settled a lawsuit with former U.S. Rep. Gary Condit over articles linking him to federal intern Chandra Levy's disappearance and death, Condit's lawyer said.

The terms of the settlement, including the amount paid to Condit, are confidential, attorney L. Lin Wood said Thursday, adding that the former congressman is satisfied with the agreement.

Levy's disappearance in 2001 fueled intense scrutiny of the veteran Democratic lawmaker from central California, who admitted having a "close relationship" with the 24-year-old intern but maintained he had nothing to do with her death.

Authorities found her remains in May 2002 in a Washington park, a year after she vanished, and determined she had been the victim of a homicide.

Condit claimed in his $209 million lawsuit that articles in the three tabloids damaged his reputation and contributed to his unsuccessful bid for re-election in 2002, his lawyer said.

"The articles accused him of being involved in the crimes of kidnapping and murder," said Wood.

"As a libel case goes, it's probably unusual in terms of the number of articles that were at issue," Wood said. "Here we were dealing with 19 articles published over the course of approximately two years."

Mike Kahane, general counsel with American Media Inc., said the Boca Raton, Florida-based parent company of the tabloids could not comment on the settlement's details. He said the publisher is satisfied with the agreement.

[rd]

This is interesting, a New York Post update on Condit's suit against Dunne. No mention of Murder on a Horse Trail from reporter Carl Campanle. Dunne's lawyers will be asking Condit about his relationship with Chandra, a Condit source says he will not be invoking the Fifth, has noithing to hide.

Should be interesting if it gets to discovery in the next couple of weeks and how it spins out if it does. Also will be interesting if anybody ever mentions the book offered any insight into the case. So far, no one has.

rd

from www.nypost.com (fair use)

CONDIT IN NEW BATTLE
By CARL CAMPANILE
New York Post
September 13, 2004

Former California Congressman Gary Condit is coming to New York — to try to clear his name over the mysterious death of intern Chandra Levy by pursuing his defamation suit against crime author Dominick Dunne.

But lawyers for Dunne plan to grill Condit over his relationship with Levy, whose remains were found in a Northern California park in May 2002 after she had been missing for over a year.

Condit charges that Dunne falsely linked him to Levy's disappearance. He's seeking $11 million in damages.

Investigators concluded Condit was not a suspect, although he admitted to having an affair with Levy. No suspect has been identified, and Levy's killer has not been found. Last week, Condit settled a $209 million libel suit against the publisher of three supermarket tabloids: the National Enquirer, Globe and Star.

Dunne lawyer Paul LiCalsi insisted that Condit's settlement with the tabs will have no bearing on the case. "Gary Condit murdered his own reputation before Dominick Dunne made any of the statements that are at issue in this lawsuit," LiCalsi said.

"Condit did enormous damage to his reputation by the way he dealt with the police and dealt with the public."

A source close to Condit said he has nothing to hide, and will not dodge questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment right.

At issue are comments that Dunne, a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, made during a Dec. 20, 2001, interview on Westwood One's Laura Ingraham show.

Dunne did not say that Condit killed Levy or is a main suspect, and even surmised that Condit "does not know" what happened to her, according to a transcript of the interview.

But based on hearsay from a "horse whisperer" source, Dunne told Ingraham that Condit may have "created the environment that led to her disappearance."

[jane]

I'm sure Dunne's attorneys are very clever and will ask questions in such a way as to severely rattle our 'friend' Gary - he who has nothing to hide(?!) If Condit and Wood are expecting Dunne's attorneys to say, "Admit it, you did have Chandra dumped from a plane into the Atlantic" - well, I just don't think so.
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[benn]

>>A source close to Condit said he has nothing to hide, and will not dodge questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment right.<<

I am just thinking, rd that Condit is bluffing. Condit can't answer questions. He has not answered any yet, except the Connie Chung fiasco, and the other related interviews. Condit may get Dunne to settle. Of course Condit does not reason too good either.

The odds appear to be in favor of a secret settlement. Either that or Condit will take the Fifth on almost all questions.

I just mentioned in another message that if Geragos can pull off so many maneuvers to try to get a guilty man set free that Prosecutors should start coming up with more maneuvers of their own. Justice should be about a fair trial and a fair verdict, not about getting guilty people off free.

A good maneuver by Prosecutors and investigators would be to subpoena these "secret" agreements between two parties when criminal activity is also involved. Both parties in some of these secret agreements may also be guilty of something themselves, that being the reason that they want everything secret.

If we can not find out what law enforcement is doing when it investigates we might be able to accuse them of not investigating vigorously enough, just as criminal attorneys like Geragos are doing. The criminal should have no place to hide, and neither should law enforcement. Beware Geragos, we are here to outsmart you. lol

benn

[rd]

hi jane, if you notice the statement in the article that he's being sued over, Dunne said Condit may have created the environment for Chandra to disappear. That is very different from anything directly controlling her disappearance, and quite frankly, is wide open as to who in that environment may have acted on their own.

That leaves a wide range of questioning concerning the environment in which Chandra disappeared, or as I describe it, the circumstances under which Chandra disappeared.

That is where Murder on a Horse Trail comes in. In it I try to describe that environment in which Chandra disappeared, so I am hopeful that it has an impact on attempting to arrive at Condit's role in creating that environment.

rd

[jane]

I think it will, rd.
_________________
"There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Christ

[rd]

thanks, jane. I think we discussed that environment all this time just so it would have just such an impact, and I'm glad we were able to act on our analysis in this book.

well, we have to outsmart people wanting to make this a cold case, at the very least, benn. :)

rd

[rd]

I saw today skipper the same thing I always see when reporters talk about the day before 9/11. They talk of trivial pursuit of Chandra Levy, as if a Congressman trying to thwart an investigation into his mistress disappearing is a trvial pursuit.

rd

[propria]

>>> The only smiling face in the church. <<<


not quite, skipper ... the clintons were grinning from ear to ear, too. go figger ... birds of a feather, and all that good jazz.


nanci
_________________
the Truth has a name, and there is power in that Name!

[benn]

I don't know if I can work this in or not. The World Trade Center was about as bad as it gets, but there are other death figures that we do not see too much. Sometime after joining this Justice for Chandra site I signed up to receive email from MADD, Mothers against Drunk Driving.

Here is a short quote from one of their messages.

>>>Just recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that for the first time since 1999,
alcohol-related traffic fatalities have declined three percent. There were 17,013 people killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2003 (40
percent of the 42,645 total traffic fatalities) versus 17,524 killed in 2002.
http://support.madd.org/site/R?i=CmXe3Zyd2qXthFVSgKRaQg..

Click here to see how your state rates.
http://support.madd.org/site/R?i=8DNlF5tcotHthFVSgKRaQg..<<<

We hear about the big tragedies, but it is not too popular to go against alcohol and drunk driving, or even sober but unsafe driving. That is probably the reason interest was lost in the Chandra Levy case, there were just too many other things to think about, and too many other things to do to have "fun." No matter that the fun sometimes takes other people's lives. I guess drunk driving, and automobile accidents in general, just aren't popular subjects. Automobile accidents do not sell many newspapers but maybe "sex" scandals do. Maybe better for the media to report a "sex" scandal than a possible murder by a Congressman. Even a possible murder might sell papers, but the former Congressman might sue.

benn

[Kortnie]

rd, don't throw in the towel. One never knows when the wind will change! Such as, we've got Hurricane Ivan heading our way! It's true that I haven't been posting because I don't have anything new to say about the case. If only some new juicy tidbit would be thrown our way like a bone to a dog. Excuse me, must go purchase canned goods. I'll talk at you later. keep the faith! Kortnie

[rd]

Thanks Kortnie! And we'll start a thread for you to keep us posted on Ivan. Be safe!!

rd

[benn]

Hello all,

I am an advocate of letter writing. Politicians say something like "every letter that is written and sent represents X number of people who did not write," so just writing means something.

Senator Dianne Feinstein from California seems like a good person to send letters to about the Chandra Levy investigation. She is from California, and she is also fairly active in the Senate. She also knew Condit, and said that he lied to her. She went to at least one of the vigils held for Chandra when Chandra first disappeared.

I am going to post Feinstein's Committees here because I am not certain that she takes mail from people not living in California. Writing to Feinstein at a Committee might be a way for people not living in California to contact her.

I have posted more information about her in the Contacts topic. Feinstein is not running for office this year, so this is not polictical. Both U.S. Senators from California are women, and both are Democrats.


From Senator Feinstein's website.

>>>Ways to Stay Informed<<< >>>edited<<<

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to recent security concerns, new mail delivery procedures have been implemented in the U.S. Congress which may significantly delay the delivery of mail and overnight delivery services to my office. You may continue to send correspondence to me via e-mail by using the webform found in the How to Contact Me section of this website. However, flag requests must continue to be sent via regular mail, since prepayment is required. Thank you for your patience during these delays.

Contact Senator Feinstein
There are many ways to get in touch with Senator Feinstein offices
in order to best serve you.

Phone & Fax
Write a Letter
E-mail the Senator
California Office Information
Case Work Assistance
Receive Issue Briefs
Tour Information and Ticket Requests
U.S. Flags
Internships


Senator Dianne Feinstein


Phone or Fax

If you wish to phone or fax the Washington, D.C. office:

Phone: (202) 224-3841
Fax: (202) 228-3954
TTY/TDD: (202) 224-2501

Write a letter

Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

E-Mail the Senator

All electronic mail sent is tallied and your opinions are noted and appreciated. If you wish a response to your email, please include your California postal mailing address in the text of your message. Due to the volume of email we receive, we are only able to respond to messages that contain a California postal address. Please ensure that your email is in plain text format and does not include any attachments.
E-mail the Senator


Contact one of my offices in California

California offices


Casework

Requests for Casework assistance - If you are writing because you are having difficulty with a government agency and wish to request help, please send a letter including your name, address, phone number, Social Security number, and information about your problem and a Privacy Release form to:

Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Or call (415) 393-0707
Fax (415) 393-0710


Senator Feinstein's Biography
printer version

Senator Dianne Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992 by 5,505,780 Californians, the most votes cast for a Senator in U.S. history. Two years later, she was elected to her first full 6-year term in the Senate and won election to her second full term in 2000.

Her career has been one of firsts - she was the first woman President on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman Mayor of San Francisco, the first woman elected Senator of California and the first woman member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator Feinstein currently serves on the following committees:


U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

Download Senator Feinstein's
Official Photos

Senator Feinstein's Photo Gallery

* Judiciary Committee
* Ranking member of the Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security Subcommittee
* Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship
Subcommittee
* Crime, Corrections and Victims Rights Subcommittee
* Appropriations Committee
* Ranking member of the Military Construction Subcommittee
* Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
* Agriculture Subcommittee
* Interior Subcommittee
* Defense Subcommittee
* Energy and Natural Resources Committee
* Water and Power Subcommittee
* Forests and Public Land Management Subcommittee
* Select Committee on Intelligence
* Rules and Administration Committee

In addition, Senator Feinstein serves on the following:

* Vice-chair, National Dialogue on Cancer
* Co-chair, Senate Cancer Coalition
* Co-chair, Southwestern States Border Caucus
* Co-chair, Western Senate Coalition
* Co-chair, U.S.-Israel Security Caucus
* Congressional Seaport Security Caucus
* Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
* Congressional-Executive Commission on China
* Congressional Baltic Congress

As California's senior Senator, Dianne Feinstein has built a reputation as an independent voice, working with both Democrats and Republicans to find common-sense solutions to the problems facing our State and our Nation.

In her role on the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, she works on a wide range of legislation to fight terrorism and improve our homeland security. She has also sponsored and won passage of bills to improve our visa and border security system and prevent biological pathogens from falling into the wrong hands.

On the Intelligence Committee, she also helps oversee our nation's intelligence and counter-terrorism programs and receives frequent classified briefings on top-secret intelligence matters involving the war on terrorism and international crises such as Iraq, the Middle East and North Korea.

>>Some of << >>Senator Feinstein's Priorities for the 108th Congress include:

* Reauthorization of the Assault Weapons Ban - Would make permanent and strengthen the Assault Weapons Ban and close the loophole that has allowed millions of high-capacity ammunition magazines to be imported.


* Crime Victims Constitutional Amendment - Would establish basic Constitutional rights of violent crime victims, including right to be notified and be present at a trial, to make a statement and to be notified of an assailant's release.

Noteworthy accomplishments by Senator Feinstein include:

* Assault Weapons Ban - Won one of the toughest battles of her career with passage of this measure in 1994 to prohibit the manufacture and sale of 19 types of military-style assault weapons.<<< end of quotes.

This is benn again. I have never written to Senator Feinstein at one of her Committees. A letter to a Committee might have a little more leverage than a letter just to a Senator or a Congressman. The letter might be read to the entire Committee, or it might be filed where all Committee members can read it.

Don't give up on the Chandra Levy case. Think like Geragos thinks. :)

benn

[Kortnie]

Thanks, rd. You should see Interstate 10 --we are talking bumper to bumper traffic consisting of New Orleans evacuees! Of course, these are evacuees who own vehicles. As the mayor has said, about 100,000 souls have to stay put because their "ride" is public transportation. So, demographically speaking, it is the poor and the black folks who will have to weather (no pun intended) Ivan. They have no choice. The main worry is flooding which will contain chemicals from sewage since NO is below sea level. I'm so glad to be sitting here in Baton Rouge! Kortnie