The exceedingly messy lawsuit between Arthur “Terry” Newmyer and Sidwell Friends School is headed for trial—and the circle of high-profile Washingtonians wrapped up in the case is expanding. At a hearing last week, DC Superior Court judge Michael Rankin set a trial date of November 18, 2013.
Newmyer first filed suit against Sidwell and its former psychologist in May 2011. He claims the psychologist had an affair with his wife while treating his daughter, then five, and that Sidwell took “flagrant and outrageous actions” that allowed the “open sexual relationship.”
For Sidwell—an elite private school in DC with an annual tuition of around $34,000—the lawsuit is an embarrassing airing of dirty laundry, something it normally goes to great lengths to avoid. The school’s parents, students, and alumni include many members of Washington’s most prominent families. President Obama’s two daughters attend Sidwell, as do Vice President Biden’s grandchildren; Chelsea Clinton and Al Gore III both attended the school, as did the children of cabinet secretaries, journalists, business leaders, senators, and congressmen, among others.
Newmyer’s lawsuit always had the potential to rope in some of the high-profile families who knew of the affair or whose children had been in the care of the accused psychologist, James Huntington, who also taught sex education to sixth-grade students during the year one of the Obama daughters was in that grade. That potential turned into a subpoena for Elsa Walsh, wife of journalist Bob Woodward.
Last April, Newmyer subpoenaed all of Walsh’s communications involving Huntington and Sidwell—especially those related to Huntington’s handling of a bullying incident. Walsh and Woodward have resisted the subpoena.
At a hearing last month, Newmyer’s lawyer, Kerry Scanlon, argued that the Woodward/Walsh e-mails would show that Sidwell administrators knew Huntington was conducting himself unprofessionally.
Judge Rankin has ruled that Woodward and Walsh have to turn over some of their e-mails.
Newmyer’s lawsuit has had the scent of scandal from the day it was filed on May 12, 2011. Newmyer’s complaint included e-mails with intimate details of the affair between Huntington and Tara Mehrbach, then Newmyer’s wife. They have since divorced.
And from the start, the case has raised two questions:
First, why would Terry Newmyer bring a case that could breach his child’s privacy and expose graphic details of his ex-wife’s infidelity? Newmyer is a Sidwell alum and comes from a prominent Washington family that has given generously to the school. His complaint asks for $10 million in damages.
And second, why would Sidwell not settle the case rather than allow the seamy story to play out in court? Newmyer, according to sources, attempted to settle the matter before he sued. Sidwell declined. Once Newmyer filed, the school then moved to dismiss the suit in favor of arbitration. The school requires parents to sign a student-enrollment contract that includes an agreement that any disputes between the student or family and Sidwell will be handled by a neutral arbitrator. Moreover, the contract says, “Any material filed with the arbitrator, the contents of all depositions or testimony, all documents produced during the course of the arbitration, and any remedy imposed or damages awarded by the arbitrator shall remain confidential.”
Had the court granted Sidwell’s motion, much of the information that now sits in public records would have remained private. But the motion was denied—Newmyer neither signed the contract nor authorized his then-wife to do so on his behalf, so it was determined that he was not bound by its terms.
Huntington has countersued Newmyer for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other things. He requested compensatory and punitive damages totaling $13 million. Portions of the countersuit have been dismissed.
Details of the affair and the lawsuit are recounted in court documents filed in DC and Florida—where Newmyer and Mehrbach were legal residents. They were married on September 16, 2001; Newmyer is 20 years older than Mehrbach. Though they lived in Palm Beach, they had “multiple houses” in the Washington area and a house in Maine, according to Florida court documents. Newmyer filed for divorce in 2009. At the time, the couple had two daughters under the age of five.
Instead of divorcing, they signed a settlement agreement that would allow Mehrbach and the children to move to Washington while Newmyer remained in Palm Beach. They agreed to have a commuter marriage, according to Newmyer.
In September 2009, their older child started pre-kindergarten at Sidwell. Though Newmyer was an alumnus and a financial supporter of the school, he didn’t think the school would challenge his daughter. According to court documents, he was concerned she would be bored and “lose her advanced learning abilities at a young age.” But Mehrbach wanted to send her to Sidwell. Newmyer suggested Mehrbach meet with school administrators to insist they provide activities suited to her advanced skill level.
In January 2010, Sidwell’s staff psychologist, James Huntington, came to Mehrbach’s house to evaluate her daughter. He watched her play and read and asked Mehrbach a series of questions, according to court documents. The next day, a Saturday, Huntington and Mehrbach met over drinks to discuss his recommendations. Mehrbach then e-mailed Newmyer to report that Huntington had advised that their daughter needed an enriched curriculum.
Sometime between the end of January and the beginning of February, Huntington and Mehrbach began a sexual relationship. Huntington, who was divorced, had a daughter at Sidwell in the same class as Mehrbach’s child. They would arrange play dates, according to Newmyer’s complaint, so Huntington could professionally evaluate Merhbach’s daughter. The play dates also gave the psychologist a chance to play around with Mehrbach. Their relationship, according to Newmyer’s complaint, became public knowledge at Sidwell.
Huntington’s ex-wife, Liza Himmelman, questioned the affair. A child and adolescent psychologist, she warned her ex-husband that his relationship with Mehrbach was harming both of their daughters. Huntington even repeated his ex-wife’s concerns in an e-mail to Mehrbach:
“Do you really want that, Jack?” he quoted his ex-wife as writing. “When there are so many women out there, safer women, that might not cost you your reputation and job to have a relationship with? Is sex with her and are her blowjobs really worth that much risk you are taking?”
“I said yes,” Huntington wrote to Mehrbach.
During the course of the affair, Huntington sent a number of sexually explicit e-mails to Mehrbach from his Sidwell account—sometimes in the middle of the workday. His e-mails, according to Newmyer’s complaint, graphically recounted their encounters, including oral and anal sex, role-playing, and “manic rubbing and touching when [Huntington is] under the influence.”
In a March 4, 2010, exchange excerpted in Newmyer’s complaint, Huntington e-mailed Mehrbach expressing his desire “to be busy with [her] body,” and when she called to discuss it but didn’t reach him, his follow-up e-mail explained why: “Your call enabled me to kick out some 8th grade girls from my room. They were winners from Twin Day, so they were eating their prizes in here and talking about male P.E. teachers that try to hit on them.”
At the time of that e-mail—and for much of the duration of the affair during the 2009-2010 school year—Huntington taught sex education to Sidwell sixth graders, during which time First Daughter Malia Obama was in the sixth grade. Typically, the class is mandatory for all sixth graders, according to former students.
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Snappers are a new treat from the same family who make Edward Marc chocolates, through their brand known as the Milkshake Factory.
Area Costco shoppers will soon be able to get a taste of what has made the Edwards family a sensation among chocoholics at the Pentagon. That is where they have their only area chocolate shop, Edward Marc, which because of the location is off-limits to most of us.
Christian Edwards, who runs the Pentagon store with his sister, Dana Manatos, and brother, Mark Edwards, says they are known for their signature “turtles,” with caramel, pecans, and chocolate. For Costco they’ve redesigned the recipe, combining the chocolate and caramel with salty pretzels to create bite-size treats called “snappers.” They are sold by the 24-ounce bag and will become available at 26 Costco stores, including all the stores in the metro Washington area, starting April 16.
We first met Chris last year, at the premiere of Game Change, which he attended because he is portrayed in the film for his role on the McCain-Palin campaign. Edwards is both a politician and a chocolatier, and we visited his Pentagon shop thankful, in a way, that a security clearance is required to enter. Costco, alas, only requires a membership card.
There’s no doubt that Washington is experiencing a rush of sentimentality as the news spreads of the death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. At times in the 1980s it seemed she was as much a part of this side of the pond as the other, since she visited so often and intersected with so many Washingtonians. One of them was Gahl Burt, who met her first when she was deputy chief of protocol and then again as White House social secretary for President and Mrs. Reagan, a period of time that spanned most of the ’80s. Burt’s memories are interesting and often amusing, and while they largely have to do with important matters of state they also include hairdressers, towels, and whiskey.
On Monday, when news broke that Thatcher had died in London at the age of 87, we reached out to Burt, who was on a trip to New York and called us back between appointments. “What I remember best about her,” Burt says of Thatcher, “was she was incredibly tough but at the same time incredibly feminine.” She was the first head of state to pay an official visit to Reagan, making the trip soon after his inauguration. “One of the first things she asked for was a hairdresser.” Burt can’t remember the hairdresser’s name at this point, because he’s long gone, but whoever it was had a salon near the Madison Hotel.
During the visit, as on other visits, Thatcher resided at Blair House with her husband and daughter. “She was very concerned about her husband, making sure Dennis had a good time. He was a groundbreaker in that he was the spouse and a man. We organized golf for him.”
On the other hand, Thatcher had a project for her daughter, Carol. “She instructed her to go out and buy towels for number 10 [Downing Street]. She thought the quality of the towels at number 10 were not very good.” So off Burt went with Carol Thatcher to buy towels for the British prime minister’s official residence.
The cherry blossom trees on the Tidal Basin, April 5, 2013. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
The cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin, which had been forecast by the National Park Service to open last week, and then this week, now are expected to achieve peak bloom next week. The NPS says the date change is due to the continued cold spring weather that has gripped the region and won’t seem to let go. We made another unscientific sunrise visit to the cherry trees on Friday morning, and while less tightly closed than last Friday and showing just a hint of color, they were still more bud than flower.
The new predicted peak bloom dates are April 6 through 8, and Mother Nature may oblige, but slowly. Friday is expected to be in the 60s, Saturday in the 50s, and Sunday, at last, in the 70s, with the warm temps forecast to last through next week. What this means is it’s probably safe to start planning your trip to the Tidal Basin, whether it’s for a walk, a run, a bike or boat ride, a picnic, or—a particular favorite of longtime Washingtonians—a visit at sunrise or after sunset. Parking can be a challenge, but there are spaces available on the edges of West Potomac Park near the river.
For Metro riders, the Smithsonian stop at 12th and Independence is the recommended stop, with a walk along the Mall to the Tidal Basin. Another option, with a longer walk but maybe fewer people, is to get off at Foggy Bottom and walk down 23rd to the Lincoln Memorial and across to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, which is adjacent to the Tidal Basin and the blossoms. For more information, visit WMATA.
Image via fotostory / Shutterstock.
About the only professional definition Hillary Clinton owns up to right now is “former Secretary of State.” She doesn’t talk of or even hint at the 2016 presidential race. But Washington is a city of political watchers and speculators, and Clinton gave them a lot of fodder this week. On Tuesday she made her first speech since leaving the cabinet, with an appearance at the 2013 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards at the Kennedy Center. At the same time it was revealed that she will make her first paid speech on April 24 in Dallas to the National Multi Housing Council.
The Dallas appearance is interesting because on that same day, and in the same city, another “non-candidate,” former Florida governor Jeb Bush, is also making a speech—to the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. The next day, Clinton and Bush will appear together at Southern Methodist University for the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, along with President Barack Obama and the former presidents Bush (W. and H.W.), Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter. In the realm of political speculation, a Clinton-Bush presidential contest is beguiling.
An architect's rendering shows what a proposed new FBI headquarters might look like on land now used as a parking lot by the Government Printing Office. Image courtesy of Arthur Cotton Moore.
Amid the 35 proposals to relocate the FBI’s headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue—the area’s biggest economic development gem in years—is a surprising plan that might just keep the Bureau in downtown Washington, constructing a new building close to Union Station and answering the dreams of many senior FBI leaders.
The Union Station proposal—not previously reported—is backed by Republic Properties and renowned DC architect Arthur Cotton Moore and would provide the FBI with the full required 2.1 million square feet (2,107,242 to be exact) of new space. Republic Properties proposes to build on an empty lot—bordered by North Capitol Street, Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest, and New Jersey Avenue—currently used as parking for the Government Printing Office, which occupies the eastern portion of the block. The neighboring GPO building, which handles the printing of the Congressional Record and passports, among other projects, is underused and in need of renovation itself. Republic Properties is proposing renovations to the GPO facility, the addition of underground parking, and the construction of a new FBI headquarters.
While much of the attention around the headquarters move has focused on the suburbs—suggested sites include Springfield, Virginia, and Greenbelt, Maryland—many senior FBI officials have longed for a viable solution that would keep the Bureau’s 11,000 headquarters staff in downtown DC. The Hoover Building, built nearly 40 years ago and aging badly, has forced the FBI to split its headquarters staff across more than 20 annexes in Washington. Yet FBI officials are wary of moving to the suburbs, which would complicate relations with Congress, the White House, and especially the Department of Justice—currently just across Pennsylvania Avenue from the existing Hoover Building. FBI officials also hope to reopen its public tour, closed since 9/11, in a new headquarters, allowing the building to once again be a major stopping point for tourists.
Illustration by Chris Philpot.
1. Commerford Zoo in Goshen, Connecticut, is one of only a few companies that bring elephants to weddings on the East Coast. Renting one of its two female Asian elephants in our area starts at $8,500.
2. Commerford recommends reserving an elephant a year in advance. Many couples book the elephant first, then pick a venue. Winter weddings are tricky, as elephants can’t be outside long in cold weather.
3. Commerford handles the permits. Maryland and Virginia allow the animals, but DC recently instituted a ban, which Commerford is fighting, that prohibits grooms from riding elephants.
4. The night before, the elephant gets a scrub-down and may have her toenails painted white with nontoxic paint. The elephants sometimes wear flower necklaces, bracelets, and other decorations.
5. On the morning of the wedding, the elephant boards a custom-designed, 60-foot tractor-trailer. Commerford recently got a new one at a cost of about $250,000.
6. Along the way, the elephant eats hay, fruit, vegetables, marshmallows, cookies, and other favorite snacks. Two or three handlers travel with the animal.
7. Before the procession, the groom climbs a stepladder to a special saddle with metal bars on three sides and a safety chain on the fourth. A boy of seven or eight typically rides with the groom.
8. The groom doesn’t hold reins to steer the elephant. Instead, handlers guide the animal, with members of the wedding party leading the way while singing and dancing.
9. The procession usually lasts an hour or so and travels just 400 to 500 feet. Once the groom arrives at the destination, the elephant and her handlers head back to Connecticut.
This article appears in the April 2013 issue of The Washingtonian.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art and the University of Maryland are considering teaming up, the institutions said late Wednesday.
In separate statements, the Corcoran and UMD said they have a signed memorandum of understanding that represents the first step in a potential partnership between the two.
Neither released details of what such a partnership might look like. The Corcoran said research and discussions regarding specifics would take place in the coming months.
UMD president Dr. Wallace D. Loh said in a statement that he would begin consulting with “faculty, students, staff, alumni, and friends of the university” to evaluate the partnership. Wallace said the exploration process would be completed by the end of the summer.
“A partnership with the Corcoran would provide our faculty and students with access to its world-class collection,” Loh said in a statement. “We could develop together, for example, new courses, joint degrees, and innovation studios in product design and digital arts that involve interdisciplinary teams of artists, engineers, computer scientists, and entrepreneurs. We will gain a physical footprint in a historic landmark, magnifying our presence in the nation’s capital.”
The Corcoran also announced it will exhibit pieces of the National Gallery of Art’s collection during the East Building’s upcoming renovations. The East Building’s renovations are expected to take three years.
The decisions, made at a meeting of the Corcoran’s board of trustees Wednesday, come as the city’s oldest art museum tries to revive itself in the face of plummeting donations, falling attendance, and wandering leadership.
The Corcoran’s financial crisis was featured in an article in the December issue of
The Washingtonian.
John Diehl got off easy—way too easy.
Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that Diehl pleaded guilty to knocking a cyclist off his bike in the fall of 2011. His penalty: community service, counseling for anger management, a driver’s safety course, and alcohol and drug treatment “if necessary.”
What’s necessary is sending drivers a message that deliberately hitting a bicyclist will be much more painful than this gentle tap. Deliberately ram into a biker and pay a fine, perhaps go to jail.
Check out the facts: US Attorney Ron Machen says the cyclist in question, Evan Wilder, was riding his bike west on the 3000 block of Rhode Island Avenue, Northeast, when Diehl pulled his truck up alongside him. Machen says Diehl, 57, cursed at Wilder for being in the middle lane. Then he switched lanes, hit the cycle, knocking Wilder off, and drove away. For the record, Wilder was not in the middle lane.
Machen didn’t lack evidence. The cyclist had a camera on his helmet, recorded the hit-and-run, and posted it on YouTube. Still, sources tell me, it took prodding from DC City Council member Phil Mendelson, then judiciary committee chair, to get the prosecutors to charge Diehl. He wound up pleading to leaving the scene after a collision and destruction of property.
Compare this lame law-enforcement response to a similar case in Loudoun County.
On Sunday, March 3, John Washington was riding his bicycle on Ashburn Village Boulevard. Washington, 56, is an experienced cyclist from Leesburg. According to Virginia state police, Shayne Miller-Westerfield struck Washington on his bike, then drove off. Police found Miller-Westerfield at his job. Washington was badly injured and taken to a hospital.
What happened next shows that Loudoun County doesn’t take these episodes lightly.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden. Photographs by Carol Ross Joynt.
If the look and the sound of a presidential campaign—large crowded auditorium, screaming fans—can have a soft rollout, it would possibly look something like the scene at the Kennedy Center Tuesday evening for the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards, where the headliners were the two most talked-about contenders for the 2016 Democratic presidential ticket. The double bill was Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who gave her first speech since leaving President Obama’s cabinet. In their remarks the two veteran politicians did not veer away from the message of the evening: women—their rights, protections, and potential worldwide. On this subject they sounded less like future opponents and more like running mates.
Clinton, just back from a vacation in the Dominican Republic, looked happy and rested. She no longer wore the thick eyeglasses ordered by a doctor due to medication prescribed after she fainted, fell, got a concussion, and was hospitalized. A close friend said that the episode is behind her and she’s off the meds and “all better.” Clinton also seemed to be delightedly in her natural habitat, among hundreds of like-minded individuals, mostly women, who support Vital Voices, an organization she formed as an initiative 15 years ago as First Lady. She also presented an award to her longtime friend and lieutenant, Melanne Verveer, who is currently perched at Georgetown University while Clinton figures out what’s next.
“When women participate in peace-keeping and peace-making, we are all safer and more secure,” Clinton said. She added that when women participate in the economy, “everyone benefits.”
Clinton was introduced by designer Diane von Furstenberg, who had her arm in a sling, which she referred to as a “skiing misadventure.” Clinton walked out from the wings in a white jacket and dark pants to a standing ovation. She seemed to take special satisfaction in recalling her long association with Verveer, remembering in particular when Verveer was her White House chief of staff; their focus then, too, was global women’s issues. “We often had meetings in a place called the Map Room, where FDR used to track the progress of our armies in World War II,” Clinton said. “We thought it was an appropriate place for women of the White House to meet.”
Continuing with the map theme, she said, “Maps can tell us as much about ourselves as [about] the world around us. You can look at a map of the world and see nothing but problems as far as the eye can perceive. That is especially true for those of us committed to the struggle for women and girls. We see too many countries where women still face violence and abuse, too many political systems that treat women as second-class or even worse. Too many economies that deny women the chance to participate and prosper.”
Clinton said she sees progress, however, “because we know people who are making that progress against the most extraordinary odds.” She said for the women struggling for an opportunity, a piece of land, an education, or to start a business or run for office, “all it takes is for them to have a fighting chance.” She said that as Secretary of State she was determined to “weave this perspective into the fabric of American foreign policy.”
Once introduced, and after a warm embrace, Verveer went to the podium to say her thanks while Clinton stood behind her, displaying an expression that was nothing less than pride.
