NPR is out with this story that really makes things look bad for Cain:

The lawyer for a woman who settled a sexual harassment complaint against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain in the late 1990s says that Cain may have violated the confidentiality terms of the agreement by commenting on its specifics over the past 24 hours.

“Herman Cain and others have already disclosed that there was a confidential settlement,” says Joel P. Bennett, a Washington-based attorney specializing in employment law, who also represented the woman when she negotiated her settlement.

Two women, including Bennett’s client, settled sexual harassment complaints against Cain when they worked for him during his late 1990s tenure as head of the National Restaurant Association.

(emphasis added)

One of the biggest defenses the right has been pulling out is that the women who talked to Politico are “anonymous”. They somehow think that vindicates Cain, but this shows the problem with that. These women can’t talk about it publicly or they risk violating this agreement. Instead we now have Herman Cain possibly violating it and that could lead to legal trouble for the GOP front runner.

There’s another issue this story also brings to light. Cain was denying any knowledge of any settlements yesterday, but we know have a name and witness to them and that Cain was privileged to the settlements since they put a legal requirement on him. Since Cain may have violated this agreement that also means the women would be free to come forward. Of course I would tell them not to and remain anonymous while their lawyers handle it. We know the right’s vicious attacks on victims and the lives of these women would change forever. Before long the right would paint them as “asking for it”.