For a year and a half after the ‘09 interview, there was no other contact between the woman and police.
Then, this month, she reached out to the police and asked for a copy of the statement she had made in 2009, and also asked if she could edit it. She was told that she could make additions but not edit it. The report released by police shows no additions.
She told the police that she was going to take the case to the media. Yesterday, the National Enquirer ran a story on the allegations that relied on a 3-page report of her lawyer’s initial contact with police, apparently made available by the woman and her lawyer. According to the Enquirer, the woman offered to sell exclusive rights to the story and a 50-page document detailing the story for $1 million. The Enquirer story suggests the tabloid did not pay for the story.
But this isn’t the first time the media has been on to the story. An alt weekly, the Portland Tribune, in 2007 and 2008 tracked down the allegations (this was before the woman’s 2009 statement to police, remember) and ultimately decided not to run the story. The editor of the paper told Politico he concluded there was not sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
The Tribune reports today that Gore’s attorneys in 2007 and 2008 rejected the woman’s allegations as “completely false” and cited the “integrity” of the Gores’ “37 year marriage.” Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider told the paper in an ‘07 letter: “Not only has there not been a settlement, we haven’t been approached about one nor can we imagine any basis for one.”
It’s not clear what happened after Vogt, the woman’s lawyer, told police in 2007 he was pursuing a civil case. Vogt told the Oregonian this week: “That file was closed and put to bed and forgotten. She and I parted on friendly terms as best I can recall.”
In a statement to TPM, Vogt said, “before the initial interview with the police, my client had a change of heart and decided not to proceed with the case.”
The woman references a lawyer in her 2009 interview, but it’s not clear whether that was Vogt or someone else. She met with the Enquirer at her lawyer’s office this month, but the lawyer is not named by the tabloid.
There’s also no indication in the police report and statement that Gore was interviewed.
So where do things stand now?
The Multnomah County District Attorney said in a statement that prosecutors were not told of the 2009 interview with the woman. “If the complainant and the Portland Police Bureau wish to pursue the possibility of a criminal prosecution, additional investigation by the Bureau will be necessary and will be discussed with the Portland Police Bureau,” said DA Michael Schrunk.
And the statute of limitations on third-degree sexual assault — which is how police originally classified the case — has not run out. The Oregonian reports that the normal statute of limitations of four years after the crime is extended by a max of three years if the accused is not a resident of the state.
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