Incredibly, it appears the settlements concerning Bill O’Reilly and his sexual harassment required his victims to lie about the evidence. According to a CNN report, a settlement agreement with Andrea Mackris, a former Fox News producer, required her to lie even under oath by referring to the allegations as “counterfeit” or as “forgeries.” According to this same CNN report, the lawyer who claimed to represent Ms. Mackris switched sides in the midst of the negotiations for the settlement agreement and then represented Bill O’Reilly.

As Ms. Mackris’ current lawyer mentions, if true, that is a profoundly unethical step for any lawyer in any state. There is no situation in which it would be proper for a lawyer to switch sides during a lawsuit or during a negotiation. The ethical rules emphasize the appearance of impropriety. Even if the lawyer, Benedict Morelli, could offer some explanation for switching sides, changing sides would simply look improper.

These are serious legal allegations, the kind any lawyer would lose his license for. I am sure all these legal problems helped persuade the judge to allow three of Mr. O”Reilly’s settlement agreements to become public. Mr. O’Reilly asked the judge to seal the settlement agreements. But, the federal judge denied his motion. See CNN news report.