Silent Coup: Dean, the call girls and the lawsuits

OPEN THE RECORD

Sources & limits.

Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.

1. John Dean’s response to Silent Coup, History News Network, 2006 ↗

   An accused participant’s rebuttal. Useful for identifying disputed claims, but not independent corroboration of his own account.

2. Wells v. Liddy, 186 F.3d 505 (4th Cir. 1999) ↗

   Appeals court opinion summarizing Secret Agenda, Silent Coup and Liddy’s call-girl account, and holding that Ida “Maxie” Wells was a private figure. Its summaries describe the books’ claims; they are not findings that the claims are true.

3. Wells v. Liddy: published district-court opinion, March 19, 2001 ↗

   A defamation ruling addressing fault, sources and evidence, not a final history of Watergate. This 2001 procedural stage was followed by an appeal and a later 2002 jury verdict; no historical truth ruling is inferred.

4. Spokesman-Review (Washington Post story): “Libel suit settled over Watergate book”, 10 August 1997 ↗

   Reports the Deans’ settlement with St. Martin’s Press over Silent Coup. Terms were confidential.

5. Wells v. Liddy, 37 F. App’x 53 (4th Cir. 2002), unpublished ↗

   Reversed the district court’s ruling that no reasonable jury could find Liddy negligent, and ordered a new trial. Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent.

6. Associated Press in the Los Angeles Times: “Liddy Did Not Defame DNC Aide, Jury Finds”, 4 July 2002 ↗

   Report of the Baltimore retrial verdict for Liddy and the jury foreman’s comments. A defamation verdict, not a finding on what the burglars wanted.