Allegations related to the late Texas plaintiffs lawyer Fred Baron (pictured) are surfacing on the Web. They come from the soon-to-be released book by Andrew Young, a former aide to John Edwards, an erstwhile Democratic presidential contender and former U.S. senator from North Carolina. An account of the book's content is on the Web site of the North Carolina-based News & Observer. The article recounts the book’s allegation that when Edwards was about to launch his second White House campaign, he asked Young to claim paternity of the child Edwards has subsequently acknowledged fathering with Rielle Hunter, with whom Edwards admitted having an affair. According to the article, Young alleges Edwards also told Young that Baron "would pay." Baron had been chairman of the finance committee for Edwards' campaign. Abbe Lowell, a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of McDermott Will & Emery, has been a friend of Baron's and of his widow and firm partner Lisa Blue-Baron. He also has represented Baron in the past. In response to an e-mail asking about the allegations, he sent this response: "Fred, on his own and without discussing it with anyone else, provided financial help to Andrew Young and Rielle Hunter when they were being besieged by the media to try to help them protect their and their families' privacy. In addition, Mr. Young and Ms. Hunter both asked him for additional help. Over the course of his life, he had done the same for countless other people. It would be awful if anyone who was a willing beneficiary of Fred's generosity and friendship was now so ungrateful that he or she tried to mischaracterize what happened, blame Fred for their decisions, and especially try to put words in Fred's mouth now that he has passed on and cannot speak for himself."
-- Miriam Rozen
Comments