Hush money - how does it work?

[omni550]

With a number of the latest scandals (Harvey Weinstein, Dr. Nasser of the female Olympic gymnastics team, Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels), allegedly hush monies were paid...yet it appears as though recipients are now speaking up. How does that work? I would assume the hush money contracts would have specified they are not to divulge any information, no?

omni

[Red Badger]

Most likely, their only recourse is to sue. Then they could add jerk to their resume (along with pervert).

[Dawg52]

Send me some money. I promise to be quite.

[easysurfer]

From what I've gathered, from watching the stories, recipients could talk in general terms but not specifics. I saw Gretchen Carlson talk about harassment and #metoo in general, but she said couldn't talk about her specific case. Now, in the case with Bill Cosby, since there was a court case with a trial, for the person put on the stand, I think all bets are off.

[Curmudgeon]

I took 'hush money' from my previous employer not to talk publicly about things that went on there. I signed a contract and accepted money (needed it), so it's binding. If I break the contract I could be sued to reclaim the payout.
I'm not sure if there are contracts involved in the cases such as you cite above. I'm guessing that if illegal conduct was being hushed, such a contract would probably be null and void - I don't think you can ever sign away your right to file charges or testify in a criminal court.

[donheff]

Apparently Stormy Daniels' story was featured in some tabloid before she was paid off to be silent so she faces no conflict over that.

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawg52 Send me some money. I promise to be quite.

+1, you beat me to it But I'll add, if it's not enough, I'll let you know.

[Lcountz]

The ONLY way one can be SURE someone won't blab is if they're DEAD.

Suppose you take hush money and promise not to talk...the money is good and you need it and it seems like a good idea to promise you won't speak...maybe even sign something to that effect.....

Years later you are a successful person who no longer needs that money, or maybe the hush money now is not a significant amount to lose if you DID have to repay it..so blab away. You might even make MORE money by blabbing now and revealing that you DID indeed take money ( voila!!!!! a signed agreement!!!)

Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

[candrew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lcountz The ONLY way one can be SURE someone won't blab is if they're DEAD.

The mob referred to that as "sleeping with the fishes". Pay for silence? Pfft.

[Aerides]

In many of the cases there was also additional coercion (I'll ruin you if you talk, AND sue you).

At some point with some of these cases, thankfully, some have decided, it, it's not worth it any more to keep silent. In the more recent one, the story was building before the NDA was in place.

And yes, if the accused were to now sue based on the NDA, they have to first admit there IS an NDA, which then kind of defeats the whole deniability it was supposed to give them. Ha!

But (until now) it's a gamble I'm sure many were not willing to take. For years and years and years there were probably attempts to break NDA's, and media organizations who decided not to print the stories. Remember NBC turned down the initial Weinstein story. Had New Yorker or another pub not taken it up, and weinstein co got wind that accusers were talking...that would have been very ugly and no one would have known.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lcountz The ONLY way one can be SURE someone won't blab is if they're DEAD. Suppose you take hush money and promise not to talk...the money is good and you need it and it seems like a good idea to promise you won't speak...maybe even sign something to that effect..... Years later you are a successful person who no longer needs that money, or maybe the hush money now is not a significant amount to lose if you DID have to repay it..so blab away. You might even make MORE money by blabbing now and revealing that you DID indeed take money ( voila!!!!! a signed agreement!!!) Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

If course there’s the setup to release info once you’re dead.

[dallas27]

You place you bets, you takes your chances. And someone signs a piece a paper.