Bill Clinton’s payment of $850,000 to settle Paula Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit in 1998 has drawn renewed interest in recent years Here’s a look at the details behind that settlement payment.
Background on Paula Jones’ Lawsuit
In 1994, Paula Jones filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Bill Clinton. The lawsuit alleged that in 1991, when Clinton was Governor of Arkansas, he propositioned Jones and exposed himself to her in a hotel room. Jones was a state employee at the time.
The allegations first became public in 1994 after Jones agreed to an interview She filed the lawsuit shortly after
Clinton denied the allegations and fought the lawsuit for years. His attorneys worked to get the case dismissed before trial.
Settlement Reached in 1998
After nearly 4 years of legal proceedings Clinton reached a settlement with Jones in November 1998 while he was serving as President.
The key terms of the settlement were:
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Clinton agreed to pay Jones $850,000 to drop the lawsuit.
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The payment was made by Clinton personally, not by any government entity.
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As part of the settlement, Clinton did not admit to any wrongdoing or apologize to Jones.
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Jones agreed to drop the lawsuit and not discuss the specifics publicly.
How the Payment Happened
To make the $850,000 payment, Clinton reportedly took out a personal loan for the full amount from an insurance company.
The check was written from an account in the name of Clinton’s attorneys and delivered to Jones’ lawyers on November 13, 1998.
Within days, Jones’ lawyers dismissed the lawsuit in court with a final settlement order.
Reactions and Aftermath
Clinton said very little publicly about the settlement. His spokesperson emphasized that the payment was made only to end the lawsuit and not an admission of guilt.
Jones appeared at a press conference with her attorneys but declined to answer specific questions about the case, citing the confidentiality clause.
The size of the payment raised eyebrows at the time, as it was significantly more than the $700,000 Jones had originally sought in damages.
Critics argued Clinton was trying to “buy off” Jones to make the case go away as the Monica Lewinsky scandal ramped up. Supporters said the payment was a reasonable amount to end years of expensive litigation.
The lawsuit settlement did not end Clinton’s legal troubles, however. In December 1998, the Republican-controlled House voted to impeach Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related primarily to the Lewinsky matter.
In February 1999, the Senate acquitted Clinton and he remained in office for the rest of his term.
How It Compares to Trump’s Stormy Daniels Payment
In 2016, it was revealed that Donald Trump’s attorney paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 right before the election to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump.
Some supporters argued this was similar to Clinton paying Jones and called out a double standard.
However, most legal experts I’ve seen distinguish the two situations:
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Clinton paid Jones after she filed a public lawsuit and openly spoke about her allegations. Trump paid Daniels to preemptively silence her before she went public.
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Clinton paid the settlement himself after being elected president. Trump’s lawyer paid Daniels weeks before the election he won.
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Clinton’s payment ended a lawsuit while Trump’s payment concealed information from voters right before an election.
So while both involved payments to women, the context was quite different legally and politically.
Why the Settlement Payment Is Back in the News
In recent years, Clinton’s settlement with Jones has resurfaced as some Trump supporters argued it was similar to the Daniels payoff.
When Trump faced potential indictment over the Daniels payment in 2022, allies like Rudy Giuliani tried to deflect by asking “What about Clinton and Paula Jones?”
Some social media posts also circulated false claims that Clinton paid Jones “hush money.” In reality, the allegations were already public when he paid the settlement.
The claim: Bill Clinton paid Paula Jones $850,000 in ‘hush money’
A March 19 Facebook post (direct link, archived link) makes a claim about former President Bill Clinton.
“Democrat Bill Clinton, paid Paula Jones $850,000 in hush money…Why wasnt Clinton arrested?” reads the posts text.
The post generated over 1,000 shares in two days. Similar posts have spread widely on Facebook.
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Multiple legal experts said Clinton’s $850,000 payment to Jones as part of a settlement agreement is not considered “hush money” since the facts of the case were already publicly known.