ATTORNEY v PUBLIC RELATIONS ADVICE

Generally, attorneys can advise you on how best to win a lawsuit. Attorneys are UNABLE to advise you on how a lawsuit can RUIN your IMAGE.

Currently, Melania Trump is suing the Daily Mail for a story they later withdrew, which implied that Melania may have been an escort back when she first came to the US.

Almost certainly told that the libel suit would bring no money without damages, Melania's attorney advised Melania to state that Melania intended to use her position as First Lady to make money from the products Melania sells.

This excellent legal advice was an incredibly stupid political move. Now we all get to talk about the lawsuit and its salacious allegations. (It is not slander or libel to report on a filed court case.) Worse, Melania's image as a First Lady has been seriously undermined. Making money off of being First Lady is incredibly tacky if not actually illegal.

Corporations make this mistake all the time. We can WIN that lawsuit, they tell themselves. They rarely check with their public relations department about the stupidity of using a lawsuit to beat up a vulnerable person. SOMETIMES SETTLING QUICKLY IS THE BEST WAY TO GET THE ENTIRE MATTER OUT OF THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION. (The Disney crocodile incident is an excellent example of a corporation (probably) accepting responsibility for something even if they had a robust defense available.)

There is absolutely NO WAY to PROVE the allegations against Melania.

My first reaction was, WHO CARES? A slightly racy First Lady is OK by me.

My second reaction was, DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT PRETTY WOMAN WAS BASED ON A REAL ROMANCE?

As a fan of the fallen woman with a heart of gold fictional plot device, I found Pretty Woman to be an entirely new take on the issue. Could it have been based on rumors of a real relationship?

Melania should drop her lawsuit, have lunch with Julia Roberts and then move into the White House.