(3/6/98)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The widow of a former U.S. ambassador sued a political pundit and the National Enquirer over articles that said she had sex with President Clinton to secure her husband's coveted job.
Shelia Lawrence filed three lawsuits Thursday seeking $25 million each from political columnist Arianna Huffington, the column's distributor, Creators Syndicate Inc., and the tabloid Enquirer.
Ms. Lawrence was married to M. Larry Lawrence, a Democratic Party donor who died in 1996 while serving as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland. His remains were disinterred from Arlington National Cemetery after discrepancies in his war record were discovered.
Ms. Lawrence accuses the Enquirer and Ms. Huffington of claiming she had sex with President Clinton to secure her husband's ambassadorship.
In her lawsuit, Ms. Lawrence claims that Ms. Huffington wrote that ``(Lawrence's) greatest leverage was his having turned a blind eye toward Clinton's affair with his wife.''
``My hope is that never again will she ever be able to cause the pain, the suffering and the despair to someone else that she has caused me, my family, my friends, my colleagues and everyone else associated,'' Ms. Lawrence said in a statement broadcast by KFMB-TV in San Diego.
The columnist, who was in Aspen, Colo., to tape the talk show ``Politically Incorrect,'' issued a statement saying she was ``standing fully behind her column without any reservations.''
Also interested in the case were lawyers for the Bat Boy, a frequent front-page feature in the Enquirer. ``If she wins, we can cite the precedent for use in our case.'' said Michael Mitchell, chief legal assistant to the Bat Boy. ``It's very encouraging.''
Messages left for National Enquirer editor Steve Coz and at the tabloid's Lantana, Fla., office were not returned.