THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 9, 1994 TAG: 9409090616
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: FROM WIRE REPORTS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Paula Coughlin, the Navy lieutenant who first disclosed the sexual antics at the 1991 Tailhook convention, reached an out-of-court settlement Thursday with the association that sponsored the annual affair.
Her lawsuit against the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, however, was still scheduled to come to trial Monday in Las Vegas. If it does, it will be the first public airing of exactly what happened that night.
More than 80 women joined Coughlin in accusing the Navy fliers who make up the association of fondling them and forcing them to run a gantlet of revelers.
In her lawsuits, which sought an unspecified amount in damages, Coughlin accused the Tailhook Association of failing to supervise the convention properly and the LasVegas Hilton of negligence in failing to implement better security even though the hotel had been the scene of prior Tailhook conventions.
The settlement in the suit against the association was announced in Las Vegas in a joint statement by Nancy Stagg, the attorney for Coughlin, and John E. Gormley, the attorney for the Tailhook Association, which takes its name from an apparatus that helps airplanes land on aircraft carriers.
The terms of the agreement are confidential, their statement said.
Las Vegas U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro asked the lawyers for Coughlin and the Hilton Hotel to meet today and try to reach a settlement. But sources close to the case believe this is unlikely.
The Navy and Marine Corps investigated 140 cases of alleged sexual harassment and sexual assault stemming from the 1991 convention, but all were dismissed or punished administratively without a court martial.
However, former Navy Secretary Lawrence H. Garrett III was forced out of office because of the scandal and at least five flag officers were forced into early retirement or denied promotions because of their failure to stop it.
Coughlin, 32, whose accusations first brought attention to the scandal, resigned from the Navy in February, saying ``covert attacks'' against her, presumably for blowing the whistle on the Navy fliers, forced her to quit. She was a helicopter pilot and admiral's aide at the time of the convention.
Coughlin was assigned to Norfolk Naval Air Station until shortly before she resigned. She began her military career by enrolling in ROTC while attending Old Dominion University in Norfolk. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Paula Coughlin
KEYWORDS: TAILHOOK CONVENTION LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT by CNB