So what if I've been gone a while. I bring you falafel. It appears Mackris is still hoping to settle out of court. NYDN, which has had by far the best coverage of this case, cites a source close to O'Reilly as saying Mackris' attorney used Court TV's Lisa Bloom as a go-between to notify O'Reilly investigator Bo Dietl that they're "willing to settle." Mackris' side has maintained they always wanted to settle privately, that they never demanded $60M but simply stated $60M was O'Reilly's worth to Fox, and that it was O'Reilly's side that broke off negotiations by filing the first lawsuit. This might explain why any supposed tapes haven't yet been made public: They're being used as a bargaining chip. If the case is settled, they don't become public. Just a theory. And a side note: The law firm defending O'Reilly generously donates to Democrats, a charge he made of Mackris' lawyer as evidence of a partisan motive against him. Update: AP and Reuters bring word of ongoing talks between the parties. |
Friday, October 22, 2004
