Joseph Cammarata

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Joseph Cammarata
Born (1958-06-23) June 23, 1958 (age 65)
New York City, U.S.
EducationGeorgetown University (BS, LLM)
St. John’s University (JD)
OccupationCivil trial attorney

Joseph Cammarata (born June 23, 1958) is an American attorney mainly known for handling the high-profile case against President Bill Clinton, in which he represented Paula Jones in a sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton.[1] Cammarata also represented seven women who alleged they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby in a defamation lawsuit.[2]

Life and career[edit]

Cammarata was born in Brooklyn, New York. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1980, and his Juris Doctor from St. John's University School of Law in 1983. Cammarata earned his Masters of Law (LL.M.) in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center in 1987. He is Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy and Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.[3][4] He is mostly known for litigating against individuals and companies that injure people, are involved in sexual misconduct or are accused of medical malpractice.[5][6] Cammarata is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland and New York.[7][8]

Cammarata served as lead counsel for Paula Jones in a lawsuit against U.S. President Bill Clinton, Jones v. Clinton (1994), over sexual harassment allegations against Clinton during his time as Governor of Arkansas.[9][10][11] Clinton's defense to the claim was that a sitting president could not be sued while in office. After the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Clinton, finding "the President, like all other government officials, is subject to the same laws that apply to all other members of our society," Clinton appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which returned a unanimous decision in favor of Jones in May 1997, allowing her lawsuit to proceed.[12] On appeal, Clinton agreed to an out-of-court settlement. Gilbert Davis and Cammarata who both served as Jones' council resigned in August 1997, believing the settlement offer they had secured, which Jones refused (on advice from Susan Carpenter-McMillan),[13] was the appropriate way to end the case.[14][15][16][17] The case was later settled by a federal appeals court on November 13, 1998.[18] The case established a precedent that a sitting President of the United States does not have immunity from civil lawsuits, and precipitated the impeachment of Bill Clinton.[19]

Cammarata also represented seven women who alleged they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby in a defamation lawsuit.[20] On December 10, 2014, Cammarata filed a defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby on behalf of Tamara Green.[21][22][23] The suit was later amended to bring the number of plaintiffs in the lawsuit to seven, and to add additional claims for false light and intentional infliction of emotional distress.[20][24] All women publicly alleged they were drugged and / or sexually assaulted by Cosby.[25][26][27] In April 2019, Cosby's insurer, AIG, reached a confidential settlement in the case.[28][29]

In 1999, Cammarata represented developmentally disabled citizens in litigation against the District of Columbia and its contractors for negligence and civil rights violations, and testified before a D.C. City Council subcommittee about abuse and neglect uncovered during litigation.[30][31][32]

In October 2018, Cammarata and co-counsel obtained a court-approved $14.25 million class action settlement on behalf of women who were secretly recorded by Rabbi Bernard “Barry” Freundel while they used a religious bath at the National Capital Mikvah in Washington, D.C.[33]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Clinton v. Jones, 520 681 (SCOTUS 1997).
  2. ^ "These are the women with pending lawsuits against Bill Cosby". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  3. ^ "BIADC". Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  4. ^ "Joseph Cammarata". Northern Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  5. ^ "Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs Lawyers, Arlington, VA | Lawyer Directory". lawyers.usnews.com. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  6. ^ "Top Rated Washington, DC Personal Injury Attorney | Joseph Cammarata". Super Lawyers. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  7. ^ "Joseph Cammarata - Washingtonian". 2017-12-25. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  8. ^ "Members | National Association of Distinguished Counsel". Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  9. ^ "Jones v. Clinton, 869 F. Supp. 690 (E.D. Ark. 1994)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  10. ^ "The Clinton Affair". IMDb. A&E. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  11. ^ "Paula Jones' ex-attorney looks back at the Clinton scandal". Fox News. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  12. ^ "Clinton v. Jones, 520 U.S. 681 (1997)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  13. ^ "washingtonpost.com: IRS Audit of Paula Jones Is 'Harassment,' Adviser Says". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  14. ^ "Jones' Lawyers Advised Her About Financial Gains - June 11, 1998". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  15. ^ Lewis, Neil A. (1997-09-09). "Two Lawyers For Paula Jones Want to Withdraw from Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  16. ^ Taylor, Chris (1997-09-08). "Lawyers Quit Clinton Suit". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  17. ^ "Jones v. Clinton - Characters". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  18. ^ "washingtonpost.com: Jones v. Clinton Special Report". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  19. ^ "The Paula Jones case and settlement in 'Impeachment' explained". Newsweek. 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  20. ^ a b Tamara Green, et al v. William H. Cosby, Jr. (W.D. Mass. 2015-11-15), Text.
  21. ^ Tamara Green v. Cosby (W.D. Mass. 2014-12-10), Text.
  22. ^ "Judge refuses to throw out suit against Cosby". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  23. ^ "Plaintiffs' Attorney: This Case is a Battle Over Bill and Camille Cosby's Credibility". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  24. ^ "Attorney representing 7 Cosby accusers speaks out". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  25. ^ "Bill Cosby files countersuit against seven women in defamation case". Reuters. 2015-12-14. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  26. ^ "Camille Cosby ordered to give deposition". CNN. 2016-01-01.
  27. ^ "Camille Cosby to be deposed again". CNN. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  28. ^ "Bill Cosby: 'I didn't settle' defamation lawsuit and 'I'm not paying' but my insurer will". USA Today. 2019-04-05. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  29. ^ "Bill Cosby drops defamation claims against 7 accusers after his insurer settles". USA Today. 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  30. ^ "City to Investigate Deaths". The Washington Post. 1999-12-07.
  31. ^ Miller, Bill (2000-07-04). "Families Sue D.C. in 2 Deaths". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  32. ^ "After Forest Haven Closed, Deaths Came To D.C. Group Homes". WAMU. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  33. ^ "Orthodox Jewish organizations reach $14.25M settlement". The Washington Post. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
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