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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A lawyer's fascinating inside story of the D. C. Madam Jul 22, 2009
Washington attorney Montgomery Sibley details the inside story of the D. C. Madam in "Why Just Her." His account is a fascinating story of the selective prosecution and death of Deborah Jeane Palfrey who achieved unwanted fame after her arrest as the operator of an escort agency in Washington, D.C. Although she contended her services were legal, in 2008 she was convicted of racketeering, using the mail for illegal purposes, and money laundering. These charges seem strangely excessive for the owner of an upscale escort service which from all accounts valued anonymity. Many of her clients were rumored to be national politicians, including many conservatives who often defended the sanctity of marriage. Following her arrest we thought we might get a look at her client list, but strangely it was never made available. While I don't generally subscribe to conspiracy theories, Sibley certainly makes a case for one as he traces Palfrey's prosecution through many twists and turns of the legal system. The book also offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Washington Power elite whose personal lives differ markedly from their public presentations and the rest of us.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Interesting, But Long Jun 24, 2009
I wanted to take the time to read the book and be my own judge. The book is way too long. A lot of the legal material could have been put in an appendix. Also, I'm not too crazy about the legal strategy of the author. After all, she was guilty of the crime and 'why just her' is not an adequate defense. It's like getting pulled over by the cop for speeding and asking "why was I the only one pulled over when others were speeding?"; irregardless, I'm guilty of speeding and have to pay the ticket fine. Unfortunately, Ms. Palfrey was under the illusion that the law didn't apply to her and that her secret 'Black Book' was her get out of jail card. Overall, I thought the book was interesting. I think the author over sold his legal strategy (which is ok, he's the author) and I thought that he was candid and genuine; which kept my attention and brought credibility to the story. Unfortunately, Ms. Palfrey in the end lost her life due to the depression and stress that comes with court litigation. I think the author should have been more realistic in his legal strategy and focused on the Law and not the parade and entertainment. That circus-like strategy only laid the foundation for a good book deal and interesting story. Ms. Paulfrey was facing some serious legal charges, thus her legal strategy should have been serious. Unfortunately, in the end, the client killed herself. Hummm, was it worth it? I don't think so. Ms. Palfrey R.I.P, and I am sorry for your tragic ending. God Bless !!
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A real eye-opener! Jun 03, 2009
Like most people, I saw the tidbits of this story that Robin Meade divulged on the CNN (HLN) morning show back in 2006. I didn't think too much of the Deborah Jeane Palfrey saga, other than it was kind of strange that the story emerged "out of the blue." At the time, I had no idea all of the political maneuverings which served as the impetus for the government seizing Ms. Palfrey's assets. So.....this book was kind of a long drop down the proverbial rabbit hole into the sordid world where politics meets justice.
Little did I know when I turned the front cover how the Bush Administration / RNC wanted to get their hands on Palfrey's little black book in order to run smear campaigns against Democrat candidates in the 2006 elections. Nor did it occur to me that they were also trying to prevent any Republicans being named in a who's-who of political sex scandals. It's a bit ironic that their plot backfired big time as the biggest 3 fish positively named in her book ended up being Republican big-wigs DoD consultant Harland Ullman, Senator David Vitter & Bush Administration official Randall Tobias. And, of course, the poor Republicans also got trounced in the 2006 elections on top of that!
Obviously, if this had been a book aimed at a "normal" administration, then it would have come across as far-fetched to have the conspiracy theories enveloped within this story. Of course, the Bush administration was no normal administration. Rather, it was an executive branch which was absolutely rotten to the core. With buffoons such as Alberto "Gonzo" Gonzales and Monica Goodling running the Department of Justice, the egregious actions of the DOJ portrayed in this monograph can be seen as simply par-for-the-course. In short, the actions of the DOJ between 2000 & 2008 were utterly disgraceful.
While I always knew that your chances of winning the case were severely enervated with a public defender, I never realized the amount of collusion that PDs have with prosecutors and judges. Nor did I comprehend the degree of apathy that they could hold for their clients. It's horrifying to read how the government not only stacked the deck against Ms. Palfrey to ensure that she was convicted, but they also cherry-picked their cards. In other words, they CHEATED!
Montgomery Blair Sibley gives a credible testimony of his attempts to be the only person in Ms. Palfrey's corner during her arduous ordeal. He is obviously a much more talented lawyer than the other attornies in the book, and he's far more ethical than the politically motivated government investigators and prosecutors depicted in the book. While I've never had a great deal of respect for lawyers, I did come away from the book with admiration for Sibley and his Custer's-last-stand style of litigation.
As I was reading this book, there were a lot of overtones of the obsessive Republican attacks depicted in Inside Deep Throat - Theatrical NC-17 Edition back in the 1970s. My, how little times have changed. One may be for or against legalizing prostitution, but the fact remains that there is a reason that it is called the world's oldest profession. It has been around for tens of thousands of years, and (assuming the human race is still around) it will be here tens of thousands of years from now. The whole conservative agenda to keep the lustful genie in the bottle strikes me as rather silly.
Deborah Jeane Palfrey was certainly not Mother Teresa. On the other hand, she certainly wasn't a terrorist, either. It's sobering to think that Osama bin Laden would have received more due process than Ms. Palfrey did.
Her brand of having an escort service / prostitution service (whatever you wish to call it) was a victimless crime. Some will contend that prostitution exploits women who are in dire straits. While that may be true in some instances, it wasn't the case here. Most of the women working for Ms. Palfrey had college degrees. Some had advanced college degrees. One was a Naval officer and another was a professor at the university of Maryland. No, these were not women in poverty but women who had the intelligence to make up their own minds.
Furthermore, high society prostitutes who were educated, too, have been around for thousands of years. In ancient Greece they were known as the hetairai (Aspasia was the most famous / infamous one). In the middle ages and through the Renaissance, the only caste of women who were educated were the high society courtesans. The excellent movie Dangerous Beauty tells the story of one of them.
Hence, to try and blame the entire tradition of prostitution on Ms. Palfrey is beyond unfair. If you want to prosecute her, fine, but you must also prosecute the women who worked for her. You must also prosecute the men(!) who willfully paid for the services her women offered. You must also go after all of the other escort services (there are dozens in the D.C. area alone). To go after Ms. Palfrey alone is beyond singling her out - it's downright misogyny!
If you want a good hard look at a topic that is sobering in its depiction of the lies, scandals, arrogance, hypocrisy and just plain stupidity of the Bush administration and the DOJ that served under its watch, then this book is worth its weight in gold. The DOJ is SUPPOSED to be the most non-partisan segment of society. Instead, the Bush administration liked to wield it like a Scottish broadsword to take down political enemies. If nefarious actions such as these are not reprehensible, I don't know what is. Sadly, Ms. Palfrey ended up being a sort of sacrificial lamb on the alter of Bush 43 political hubris.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Interesting inside look at abuse of power May 23, 2009
Why Just Her is an interesting book, although at times it suffers from split focus. At the core, this is a book about the government's conviction of a madam working in DC. It could be that the government was working hard to remove prostitution from the nation's capitol, or it could be that they were more worried about political damage to the previous president. The author posits the latter, and backs it up with a tragic and compelling set of facts.
Whether or not there really was ill intent on the part of the government, and whether or not some of the circumstances were as outrageous as the author contends (I am not a lawyer so do not have context for knowing whether some of the things are as bad as he says they are), the government's lawsuit was clearly over the top and a complete waste of taxpayer's money, and the aggressive use of civil forfeiture made it impossible for the accused to defend herself.
If you are a conservative, and believe in smaller government out of people's lives, this is a great example of a conservative Republican government behaving in the exact opposite fashion. You might not believe what you read, but you should read it anyway. If you are a liberal, you will likewise see this as a travesty at best. It is impossible to read this book and believe justice was served. Perhaps the title should be "Why" not just "Why just her", because besides the selective targeting, it seemed a waste of millions of taxpayers dollars as well as the human damage, and a case where the punishment did not fit the crime. In another world, perhaps the plaintiff would be given an award for reducing stress and bringing pleasure to many, while at the same time providing financial help to many who were given a job that, while perhaps illegal, was not forced or scummy.
The book traces the totalitarian abilities the government has in chasing after people, if they so choose. It is scary and tragic.
There are several things about this book that are quite interesting. It shows the unbridled power of the government, and what happens when ill applied. More interestingly to me, it shows how legal battles can in fact be very sophisticated chess matches, and shows a set of planning and thought on behalf of the author, the primary lawyer in the case, that was quite interesting to see. For someone such as myself who has not dealt with the law at this level, this was quite fascinating, as well as how it chases the twists and turns of the case.
For those who might think the previous regime was hypocritical to say the least, the book contains plenty of very interesting suggestions as to the misdeeds of previous elected officials that I had never heard and that lead to some good dinner discussions.
There are many ways, though, that I think the book could be improved. Although the author includes numerous lengthy emails from the plaintiff to show her state of mind, the book doesn't give as much depth about her as I would have liked. So she is a bit underdeveloped of a character, unfortunately. I also felt that her own words were not enough to share the mortal terror she must have felt from the government's actions, and as the case (and the book) develop she becomes less and less sympathetic.
I also wish the author trimmed down sections. While at times seeing the actual legal materials is very interesting, it can be overly lengthy for those not in law, and I found that the level of detail sometimes detracted from the overall message.
The author also works on several issues in parallel: the misuse of power by the government, the suffering he had from the legal process, and the suffering of the client. I wish there were less about his suffering. For the first part of the book I felt very impressed by the actions he was pursuing. By the end, though, there just seemed too much self justification. This is a case where the message (really smart lawyer fights valiantly for client) becomes overdone.
In short, a very interesting book, that I am glad that I read, and that provides a fascinating perspective on the law and the travesty of this case. But, the book would benefit from moving 100 pages or so of supporting material into an appendix, and editing to keep the voice and the approach focused.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
The Untold Fight of The D.C. Madam May 11, 2009
I must have been living under a rock in 2007 because I had no idea about the D.C. Madam other than a few brief headlines. I was intrigued from page 1 of this book and horrified with the injustice served in the criminal and civil cases the DC Madam was confronted with. The escort and prostitution industries are an industry that need to change, and by change I truly believe legalization. It is clear in history that these services are only charged by the government at times when it serves their needs. Many exist peacefully for decades with no government interference.
Montgomery Sibley has done an excellent job of telling Deborah Jeane Palfrey's story. He was involved with her case and a confidant but I feel that he has gone out of his way to present the story from an objective and fact-filled stand.
This book goes beyond the obvious story of a woman in charge of an escort service with a heartbreaking ending. It is a story of politics, government manipulation, and law. People interested in what went on behind the media headlines of Deborah Jeane Palfrey will be interested in this book. I also think it is a must read for many civil and criminal law students.
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