Blacksmith - Stating The McCann's Will Settle On Amaral's Terms ........PLUS NEW ***McCanns ask for extrajudicial settlement by Joana Morais**TRIAL NOW SUSPENDED**

Portia wrote:
A confidentiality clause between Dr Amaral and the McCs is not pre se prejudicial to his future dealings with the Media. They are outsiders in any deal of his with the McCs. He could in theory proceed against the Media after an agreement with the McCs. But, him being a man of honour, I find it highly unlikely he will do that, unlike some others I could but do not want to mention.

But let's wait and see: hasn't GA himself said so poignantly: Justice works in silence?

Portia wrote:

Cristobell wrote:As an old legal secretary, my experience was that settlements are usually done immediately. Usually at the door of the Court. I think this will be an interesting weekend newswise.

Spot on, my thoughts precisely Christobell!

Obviously the facts in the Amaral libel case are potentially so damaging for the TB -mere- breacht-of-contract case, that their becoming public is to be avoided at all costs.

There now is a six month reprieve, enabling the McCs to bury TB first, and THEN break off negotiations with Dr. Amaral

The UK are a far more important battle ground than Portugal as most of the Funds donors are from the UK.

This, and nowhere else, is where they must be seen to come out smelling of roses. (as in: Fund, donors, money etc etc)

Who cares about little old sardine-swilling Mediterranean (!) Portugal?!

Me wrote:

monkey mind wrote:


In other words, simply a delaying tactic using time to their advantage whilst wrong footing all concerned. Nothing should be put past this lot....

That would all be a possiblity but what on earth is there they have got from "reviewing" the existing files that could lead them to concluding that she was abducted and still be alive?

Absolutely nothing. In fact there is more than credible evidence to the contrary.

We know there is nothing within the files that would even hint at that and where are the credible new leads? None of the publically released ones have come to anything and if there was a real genuine one would they not be requesitng a formal reopening in Portugal and announing it to the world?

Agreed. I have stated on more than one occasion that an enquiry with 200 outstanding *leads* is an enquiry without direction. The process is to narrow those leads to one credible direction. Personally I do not see how anyone can read those files and go in any direction that differs from the one the PJ took. That does not mean to say that Grange may not open endedly conclude that in the absence of a body - despite the evidence that there was one - they will leave the presumption that she is still alive.

The answers last year were bizzare but were also straight bat non commital answers which didn't rule anything in or out. Of course they have to say at that stage they think there is a possibilty she is alive, to suggest otherwsie would be prejudicial.

The timing of it was interesting though wasn't it. As was ex colleagues of Redwood coming out in national media, beng presented as abduction experts and propounding the theory that she is alive and well and being raised as someone elses child. I'm sorry, that and othe factors makes me very suspicious.

I do not believe they know what the SY review will conclude because i cannot see how the Yard can be seen to informing the people the files they are reviewing regarded as the main suspects.

They won't be *seen* to do that. There is evidence to say that the McCanns are being kept up to date on the progress or lack thereof isn't there? Unless I am mistaken they and Redwood have said as much. Any future libel trial in Portugal would surely have to be based on the evidence known at that time and not what has subsequently come out.

And let's be honest we all know there is nothing there of note to suggest an outcome other than asking for a reconstruction and questioning the T9 or simply to leave it as closed. There is simply nothing else there to come to any other conclusion.

I think sometimes we credit the Mccann's with too much knowledge and influence.

Well inexplicably they've had in their corner three prime ministers, and their media men, NGI, seemingly all of the British media, some of the best PR people money can buy, billionaire business men and their legal men, some of the best legal advocates in the land etc etc. It would be careless in the extreme not to cater for the fact they may have great influence for indeed great influence is being exerted on their behalf. Nice thing is though, it only needs the right piece of evidence for them all to jump ship.....

My take is that they are now on a very sticky wicket.

They've been on a sticky wicket from the minute they failed to produce evidence of a break in to substantiate their claims. The wicket became stickier when they were brought in as suspects hence the venom towards the man charged with trying to find their daughter and determined to expose the truth. They are still batting though. I'm not being deliberately difficult here, simply highlighting what appears to me to be a possibility, judging by history a good one. I genuinely hope it isn't so.

quote= monkey mind"]
If SY conclude with the bizarre line they pushed last May that she was still alive and being looked after by some kind and loving couple then they may use this in one of a couple of ways, to drown out any hint of the Pt decision in the media, or perhaps, they have no intent on reaching any settlement at all. Rather they know what the SY verdict is going to be and upon that there will be an abrupt u turn which they will hold that up in a Portuguese court as vindication in a subsequent libel trial.

rainbow-fairy wrote:I am literally up to page 9, so apologies if someone has posted something similar.

All this talk of WHO is trying to pull out is very interesting! Of particular interest are Ed1976 posts, which seem to have the underlying meaning "what is the point of the McCanns carrying on their actions if GA/TB cannot afford to pay damages etc....
Erm! Please tell me if I'm wrong, but I thought these cases were 'for Mad'lun' - and how 'the seeerch for Mad'lun has been harmed by Amaral/Bennetts' words and actions'?

Sorry, makes no sense to me. If the McCanns thought they had a case they could win, NO WAY would they even enter negotiations to 'settle'. After all, wasn't it Kate's (maybe) own words that told us how kindly CR do all this work behind the scenes, pro bono? Trouble is, see, when you tell fibs you end up getting yourself tangled in them.

Take the money out of the equation for a second. Let's imagine Duarte has told the McCanns they can win, and humiliate the 'fat cop' still further. Plus the headlines eg 'Harassed Parents Kate and Gerry Win Libel Case' - that's a licence right there for them to carry on spreading their fairytale, begging for money, tightening their stranglehold. We are expected to believe they'd pass that up? Pull the other one its got bells (and whistles) on!!!

So reading between the lines, someone has let the cat out of the bag that these actions weren't about 'Mad'lun' at all - just £££ - but then we already knew that, as it seems everything they have done since May '07 is about £, and saving their own sorry asses. Not about Madeleine. Poor little mite

So, on balance, just WHO is most likely to be folding??? I know where my bet would go..... And its not on Amaral!!!

Cristobell wrote:I have put a few thoughts on this matter on my blog :)

I think the House of Cards may be tumbling down.

ed1976 wrote:I do not know how the law works in portugal but certainly in the UK the court will encourage both parties to reach a settlement without going to court. Amaral has a new lawyer. If the new lawyer has advised Amaral to reach a settlement then the McCannns may have no choice other than agree to try. They would of course be given the option to continue the action if a settlement isn't reached.

Me wrote:

ed1976 wrote:I do not know how the law works in portugal but certainly in the UK the court will encourage both parties to reach a settlement without going to court. Amaral has a new lawyer. If the new lawyer has advised Amaral to reach a settlement then the McCannns may have no choice other than agree to try. They would of course be given the option to continue the action if a settlement isn't reached.

Ok, money where your mouth is time. Do you want to put a wager on as to who has conceded here.

Say £250 to charity from whomever is wrong. I'm going with the Mccann's caving, you're going with Amaral.

You taking the bet?

Jean wrote:As long as whoever wins the bet doesn't donate the money to that pseudo-charity Madeleine's Fund!

Cristobell wrote:

Speculating on the settlement. If it is in the mccanns favour, then GA must withdraw his book from sale - they can accept nothing less, if their case is not to be seen as vexatious. Far be it for me to give their desperate spinners any ideas, but they could take the compassionate stance, and say that 'enough is enough' - they simply want to withdraw from public attention and grieve. Of course, if they choose this route, it must also include dropping their action against Tony.

However, in both hypothetical situations, the settlement must include a gagging order against GA, if it doesn't, they have lost and floodgates could open.

Me wrote:

Cristobell wrote:I have put a few thoughts on this matter on my blog :)

I think the House of Cards may be tumbling down.

Well we have been here before but i tend to agree.

The key i think now is how or if the settlement is disclosed and then how or if it is spun, sorry "presented", to the wider media.

If it is case of the cards tumbling then i see full disclosure as to their defeat and the nature of it against Amaral, pulling out of TB's trial and then perhaps shortly after a conclusion to the review which confirms publically that the Yard agree with the Portugese assessment that all roads point to further questioning of the T9 as there are no other viable leads form the case whcih support abduction.

Then i can see the media jumping all over the story again and public pressure forcing them to either go back to Portugal for questioning or indeed to being pulled in by the Yard for real examination (unlike the limp Rogatories).

Once under real scrutiny and open to proper questioning then we will finally be getting somewhere.

That's when i can see real momentum conspiring against them and them losing, for the first time since they were arguido's, control of the situation.

They do have a habit of pulling rabbits out of hats though but who, 3 or 4 years ago, could have foreseen Lance Armstrong caving in as he has.

Ashwarya wrote:I think now we have have almost 6 years' worth of insights into the respective characters of the McCann pair and Detective Amaral under our belts, we can be confident that had Sr Amaral requested a delay in proceedings in order to negotiate an exit strategy we would have seen some very different headlines in the likes of the Mail and the Mirror today. May I suggest one: "Disgraced Porto plod backs out of court showdown with tragic Maddy Mum".

Observer wrote:"A thesis without evidence is meaningless." Spare me Hobs, this is so wrong, a thesis should be accepted as fact until proven otherwise. Example, E=Mc2.

Ashwarya wrote:I think now we have have almost 6 years' worth of insights into the respective characters of the McCann pair and Detective Amaral under our belts, we can be confident that had Sr Amaral requested a delay in proceedings in order to negotiate an exit strategy we would have seen some very different headlines in the likes of the Mail and the Mirror today. May I suggest one: "Disgraced Porto plod backs out of court showdown with tragic Maddy Mum". It beggars belief that having lost everything that mattered to him he would settle for anything less than the reinstatement of his integrity and adequate compensation for his own and his family's great suffering. Plus justice for Maddie at last, of course.

PeterMac wrote:

Ashwarya wrote:I think now we have have almost 6 years' worth of insights into the respective characters of the McCann pair and Detective Amaral under our belts, we can be confident that had Sr Amaral requested a delay in proceedings in order to negotiate an exit strategy we would have seen some very different headlines in the likes of the Mail and the Mirror today. May I suggest one: "Disgraced Porto plod backs out of court showdown with tragic Maddy Mum".

Antonella Thingie is also strangely quiet.