PHOENIX, AZ (Catholic Online) – The long awaited Press Conference featuring the Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 began shortly after 5 p.m. in Phoenix, Arizona. 

As a Constitutional Lawyer, it was the first part of the Conference which sent the signal I was watching for. Herman Cain is going to aggressively fight these allegations. In fact, he is very, very serious about it. Let me explain the story behind the story which few in the media are covering adequately.

When I saw high Profile Lawyer, L. Lin Wood Jr. step out on the platform – and then step up confidently to the podium – I knew what was going to follow. Not only in the ensuing Press Conference but in this entire matter as it continues to unfold over the coming weeks. This is a war, and Herman Cain has just recruited a General..

L. Lin Woods is a powerhouse Libel and defamation lawyer with an earned expertise in the intersection between the First Amendment to the Constitution and the right of all citizens to protect their reputation. He is no stranger to representing high profile clients – it has made him a wealthy man and earned him the reputation of being a "lawyer’s lawyer". He is highly respected in the legal community because of his track record. He is very good at what he does.

Among numerous high profile cases, Lin Wood represented Richard Jewell. Jewell is the security guard who was falsely accused in the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Park pipe bomb incident. Jewell was later thoroughly exonerated. In fact, he was praised as a hero for assisting in finding the real perpetrator, Eric Rudolph. Jewell experienced horrid treatment at the hands of the media. Wood also negotiated a very large settlement against NBC, CNN and other media outlets for their defamation against Jewell.

Wood represented Jon and Patrick Ramsey, the parents of Jon Benet Ramsey – the little girl murdered in Colorado.  He also represented her older brother Burke. The parents were tried in the Court of public opinion. A complicit media seemed eager to perpetuate their ordeal. They were completely exonerated. Wood filed lawsuits against several parties who defamed the Ramsey’s. He reached some successful conclusions. He also successfully defended the parents against a countersuit, which was dismissed.

Wood represented former California Congressman Gary Condit who was falsely accused of the murder of Congressional intern Chandra Levy. Condit filed a defamation suit against celebrity author and Vanity Fair correspondent Dominick Dunne based upon unsubstantiated accusations that Condit was responsible for her death. He was not responsible.  The case was finally settled for an undisclosed amount of cash as well as a public apology from Dunne. 

Wood’s appearance speaks loudly for those who can read the legal tea leaves. He gave a strong and clear defense of Herman Cain before the microphone revealing his advocacy skills. He told the reporters, "I have represented people who were victims of false accusation, on trial in the Court of Public opinion."

Indeed he has; he is the expert in this field. He told an interviewer in 2005 "I believe that courts, since the 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan, have steadily eroded the ability of individuals and entities to redress false attacks on reputation by overemphasizing the need to safeguard First Amendment rights."

Attorney Wood said he was only "one of the lawyers" for Herman Cain. That immediately sent another signal. As for his relationship with Herman Cain whom he said he has known for a long time, Wood told the Press that he felt it was a "privilege to represent him."

L. Lin Wood, Esq. is a heavyweight fighter who boxes with words. He understands the necessary balance between the First Amendment’s protection of a Free Press and the right of even public figures to protect their reputations from false accusations. He is the kind of lawyer we in the profession call a "dog with a bone." He is competent, persistent, aggressive and willing to do battle. He is the real story behind the story in this Herman Cain Press Conference.

Herman Cain then stepped up to the microphone and said "I’m Herman Cain and I’m running for the Presidency of the United States". He emphatically denied the accusations saying "I will not be deterred by false, anonymous, incorrect accusations."

Cain said that he chose to answer the allegations "directly rather than through a series of continuous statements or spokespeople" and he did just that as the Press conference continued. He spoke for twenty seven minutes from prepared notes, and then took questions from the Press. One can summarize his comments briefly in his own words "The charges and the accusations, I absolutely reject."

Parsing Cain’s words in both his prepared remarks and his responses to questions – including his intimation that a "Democrat machine" was involved in this matter – will fill the news cycle for a long time. It will also provide fodder for the pundit class for days to come.

However, the story behind the story is that Herman Cain intends to fight these allegations aggressively and continue his candidacy for the Republican nomination. He has hired one of the best libel and defamation lawyers in the Nation. Watch as L Lin Woods steps into the ring. This entire event is far from over, the bell has just sounded for round one.