Quote:
Originally posted by khazadman:
An innocent man will not pay more than ten million dollars to silence someone for something he didn't do.
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Bullshit. Trust me.
Here's the thing. Like you and so many others on this site, people make up their minds within 10 seconds of hearing the news he's got a warrant out on him. Guilt/Innocence is automatically decided -- the whole "innocent until proven guilty" is OPPOSITE from our natural tendancies to compartmentalize things immediately, taxing our brains less with complicated analyses.
Let's say I'm Jacko's attorney, and I have a 13-yr-old suing him, and up-to-the-minute news coverage about it. My client is facing a ton of legal fees, a ton of press release fees, and a devaluing of the stock of several companies he owns -- including all of the Beatles' music. Because the public has at least a 15-minute attention span, each new development in the case will generate 3 days worth of news and 4 Access Hollywood interviews of friends of my client.
Or... I can shell out $15 mil. and make the little litigant sign a "shut the hell up or lose all the moolah" agreement. Criminal charges aren't on the table, cause the gummint has no case, so that won't be an issue. $15 mil., case closed. And, the $15 mil. hit won't be so bad, because we'll arrange to pay it out in installments over 3 or 5 years. Case closed. No news to report.
Yes, some people will say "settlement = guilt." However, for the vast majority, it won't change their minds. If they thought he was innocent, they'll look at the settlement as a payoff to avoid a big headache and shrug their shoulders. It's only the ones who predetermined he was guilty anyway who will be found saying, "AHA! He MUST have done it!" Well, they're going to think that anyway, now aren't they? Even if I push it to "not guilty" (or in a civil case "not liable")verdict, they'll still think what they want. Ask O.J.
And, Mouse, Amen.