An attorney of Bluestem's acquaintance had hinted that something like this might happen after the accidental misfiling of sealed material that left nothing to the AP's imagination while confirming the local bureau's prudence.
Thus, Bluestem wasn't surprised to see the headline on a news item from the station formerly known as WCCO, Brodkorb Lawyer Leaves Case After Filing Error:
An attorney for fired Minnesota Senate operative Michael Brodkorb has withdrawn from his wrongful termination case after a document was mistakenly filed in public.The court was notified Thursday that Phil Villaume and his firm are withdrawing. Greg Walsh remains Brodkorb’s attorney. . . .
Brodkorb says he and Villaume agreed on Villaume’s departure and didn’t want the error by Villaume’s office to distract from the case’s merits. Villaume didn’t return messages seeking comment.
Senate attorneys are seeking sanctions.
It's certainly generous of Brodkorb let the press know that the gentleman formerly known as his attorney in his lawsuit thinks that Michael has suffered enough.
Rachel Stassen Berger reports in Brodkorb attorney withdraws from case in wake of list's release that the former senate employee is dangling the notion of yet another list:
Brodkorb also said on Thursday that the list that was publicly available was “a list,” suggesting that he has other evidence, perhaps other names, he has submitted to prove his case.
Asked whether there are other lists at issue, Brodkorb said: “I have to be very careful about how I answer that question.”
He added: “One particular piece has gotten some attention, but in no way shape or form does it represent the full collection of evidence that’s gone on.”
Brodkorb is suing the Minnesota Senate after he was fired following former senator Amy Koch's resignation as Majority Leader; Koch left the post after her colleagues in Republican caucus leadership positions pressured her about her affair with Brodkorb, who served as Communications Director and her executive assistant.
While the original filing included claims about defamation--Brodkorb believed that being called an extortionist hurt his reputation-- all charges have been dismissed save that of gender discrimination. The lawsuit claims that women staff who had affairs with legislators were not terminated, while the Senate insists that Brodkorb was an at-will employee whose services were no longer needed when Koch left Senate leadership.
Brodkorb's got lists, peoples!
Image: Ken Avidor's cartoon casts Michael Brodkorb as a modern incarnation of a martyr. Or maybe not.
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Towards the end of the Brian Bakst and Patrick Condon story:
That his list became public probably won't help Brodkorb build pressure for a deal in a case at least a year away from a possible trial, said Columbia University law professor Vivian Berger, who specializes in employment cases.
"The guillotine is more effective when the blade is hanging over you, not when the guillotine comes down," Berger said.
The document offers scant evidence to back up his allegations. The affairs would have occurred under different leaders than those who fired Brodkorb. Most of the supposed affairs involved no direct boss-subordinate relationship.
All of which is of course why Mister Independent Blogger keeps saying that what got released was only a teeny weeny part of his arsenal.
Except that now that the document's been released and found to be somewhat of a damp squib, his reputation as invincible and possessed of mighty oppo juju has taken a big hit. He'd better hope he still fits into that chicken suit, because that's about the only way he's going to get any new paying political gigs.
Posted by: Phoenix Woman | Aug 01, 2013 at 11:17 PM