Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, the embattled lawmaker from Brunswick who was the subject of a temporary protection from abuse order filed by a fellow lawmaker this spring, is barred from entering the city of Belfast for the next decade and can visit the state Capitol in Augusta only if he alerts Capitol Police 48 hours before his arrival.
More important, the agreement between Cornell du Houx and Erin Herbig, signed on May 11, says he must withdraw from his legislative race by July 1. Until last week, he had maintained he was running for re-election.
In mid-June, Cornell du Houx, a Democrat, said he hadn’t made up his mind about withdrawing, even after the chairman of the Maine Democratic Party publicly urged him to abandon his re-election effort. Other Democratic leaders said they expected him to withdraw that week.
He announced on June 29 that he was ending his campaign for a third term representing District 66 in the Legislature.
In a statement announcing his withdrawal, Cornell du Houx said an active-duty assignment with the U.S. Navy that begins in January would prevent him from serving in the Legislature. Had it not been for the active-duty assignment, Cornell du Houx would still be running, Ramona du Houx, the lawmaker’s mother, wrote recently in an email to the Bangor Daily News.
In addition to having no contact with Herbig, the private agreement, which was obtained by the Bangor Daily News, requires that Cornell du Houx pay all of Herbig’s $9,000 in legal fees and turn over any computer hard drives and data storage devices with pictures of Herbig or “any other women sleeping or in a state of undress” to Herbig’s lawyer.
The agreement also bars both lawmakers from publicly discussing the terms of their settlement, except to say that they’re satisfied with the terms. The document, however, allows Herbig to say Cornell du Houx has abandoned his re-election bid and moved out of state.
Reached on Friday, Cornell du Houx said he regretted that the agreement had been breached, as the terms of the agreement prohibit its public disclosure.
“I thought having an agreement that was meant to be confidential would protect her,” Cornell du Houx said in an email Friday. “I thought we were moving on with our lives.”
Herbig’s attorney, Chris MacLean of Camden, said Herbig looked forward to “moving on with her life” and running for re-election.
“This probably dredges up some difficult issues, but if this has come out and it’s been released, maybe that will allow everyone some closure, and people can move on with their lives at this point,” he said.
The saga began in late April when Herbig, a Democrat who represents District 43, requested a temporary protection from abuse order against Cornell du Houx in Belfast District Court. Herbig claimed that Cornell du Houx had stalked, harassed and threatened her after their relationship ended and and taken photos and video of her sleeping. The order was granted and a hearing was scheduled for May 14.
Maine State Police investigated the matter, but concluded their investigation on May 11 without filing charges and without interviewing Cornell du Houx. Cornell du Houx, Herbig and their lawyers reached the private agreement later that night, and Herbig’s lawyer withdrew the temporary protection order in court on May 14.
Meanwhile, Capitol Police placed restrictions on Cornell du Houx after Herbig filed the temporary protection order to ensure the two had no contact. Cornell du Houx also took a temporary absence from the Legislature in May while lawmakers completed work on the state budget.
Capitol Police Chief Russell Gauvin said Friday he had been advised to expect Cornell du Houx to notify him 48 hours before arriving at the State House and he said he hasn’t heard from or seen the lawmaker in at least a month.
The agreement says that Cornell du Houx maintains his innocence and that Herbig maintains the allegations are true. The restrictions on Cornell du Houx’s presence in Belfast and the State House apply for 10 years unless Herbig moves from Belfast and stops working at the Capitol.
Herbig is seeking re-election to a second term in the Maine House.
The Brunswick Democratic Town Committee, which is charged with nominating a replacement for Cornell du Houx, has scheduled a caucus for July 14 to choose a Democratic candidate.
Hmm, those are pretty significant restrictions. Something very unpleasant must have happened for an agreement like that to be reached.
He was taken for all he had. Maybe this will go to court now so he will actually be treated fairly.
Read the settlement details. No sane person signs a contract like that unless they have plenty to lose in a court case. It’s clear a public lawsuit would have done him great damage.
“Reached on Friday, Cornell du Houx said he regretted that the agreement had been breached, as the terms of the agreement prohibit its public disclosure. Herbig couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.”
So how did the Bangor Daily get a copy of the agreement?
From Herbig or someone acting on her behalf, obviously. It’s certainly not something du Houx would want disclosed.
I wondered when the truth would surface. I think Herbig would have been satisfied, after the out of court agreement, if DuHoux hadn’t started insinuating how innocent he was of the charges and how it was all overblown on her part.
That he actually continued on perpetuating more lies after Herbig agreed to the resolution, which allowed du Houx to not have to answer for his stalking behavior in a public trial, indicates how much help he still needs. She returned to the legislative sessions and he didn’t. That was a clue right there….that limits and restrictions were placed on him and his behavior (not hers) in keeping with the agreement.
He then went on a campaign to discredit her and her complaints against him, which were quite threatening, as well as implying she was mentally unstable. None of it added up, because he was the one who was barred from the statehouse.
Comments about her marital status are senseless and absurd. No woman should ever be followed, threatened or stalked, no matter what their personal circumstances are. It is good and necessary that the details of the out of court settlement have surfaced. If du Houx had sincerely sought the help and counseling that he needed, I can assume the settlement would have stayed sealed.
Is she that much of a baby that she couldn’t walk away from a fleeting comment by the guy…he was out her life for christsakes and she couldn’t let it go. Sounds to me she has issues. I’m sure we’ll be reading about her again…and if she didn’t want him in her life why didn’t she give back the 20,000 dollar ring? Perhaps by keeping it he thought he still had a chance…cry domestic abuse because the guy stays around she should of given him his ring back and cleanly ended it.
Herbig is not a completely innocent party in this scandal. If she’d kept her mind on the state’s business in Augusta, none of this would have happened. Her constituents got a raw deal.
But the question is how did the paper get it? Was it mailed? Was it e-mailed? Was there a return address, if mailed? Where was the parcel postmarked? If it was e-mailed, what was the address? If the paper chose not to release an e-mail address, why not say that?
I’m not saying the paper has done anything wrong by publishing the contents of the agreement. But the story is incomplete on how the paper got hold of it. It didn’t just materialize on a reporter’s or editor’s desk.
The BDN isn’t going to give any info on those things because of the reporter – confidential informant privilege.
Telling readers how the paper came to obtain the settlement would not violate any such privilege. Such a privilege would relate solely to the identity of the source, not the method of communication between the source and the newspaper.
The problem is that if the newspaper were to tell how it obtained a copy of the settlement agreement, it could make it that much easier for readers to figure out the source’s identity.
It’s likely, anyway, that the informant obtained the reporter’s agreement not to disclose her/his identity, but also not to disclose how the agreement came into the reporter’s possession. I’m quite sure that the BDN isn’t going to say anything more than it has, i.e., “. . . the private agreement, which was obtained by the Bangor Daily News. . . “
He just needs to come to Belfast wearing a Code Pink shirt and riding a motorcycle and he will be welcomed with open arms.
Now hopefully some people can move on from attacking Rep. Herbig.
I would hate to say it but there is STILL no evidence that Alex did anything wrong other than being in a relationship with her.
For many people, that’s plenty. We don’t send our representatives to Augusta to play a Maine version of “The Dating Game” – especially with married partners. We pay them considerable tax dollars to do the state’s business.
Seems to me that she is someone who breaks her marriage vows — along with breaking the confidentiality agreement that was made as part of this deal. Truely shows her ways…no way I’ll be voting for her this term – did last term but there’s something not right with this woman.
The state police ended their investigation BEFORE the agreement and evidently they didn’t find any evidence to charge him with something so it sounds to me like she just made up a story to cause him trouble with no facts to back it up. She is no better than he is.
A conviction for a crime requires the state to prove charges beyond a reasonable doubt. A judgment in favor of a plaintiff in a civil case requires only that the plaintiff show by a preponderance of the evidence that the claims are more likely than not to be true. There’s a huge difference between those evidentiary standards.
Just as soon as she decides to stay home, and grow up before returning to Augusta and elected service.
Front page news? Naaah. Put this next to the Jumble.
Why are you mad at the jumble?
A tough lesson learned. Most of us have had them; except those few who always seem to critcize instead of empathize. :)
Sounds like Erin Herbig must have leaked this story as she runs for re-election.
I wonder why the press hasn’t asked any questions regarding the timeline of all this mess. I mean she was married when she began her extramarital affair with Alex over a year ago, then was engaged to Alex while still married!
I know. The way the press is treating her you’d think she was a Kennedy. Oh wait, thats right, she’s a DEMOCRAT!
They should both take the next term to get their personal lives in order before returning to the business of government. It seems like WAY to much drama for the work place (whatever the work place).
This entire mess needs to be cleaned out of the Statehouse and Maine Politics once and for all. Why Maine Democratic chair Ben Grant didn’t call on both of them to drop their re-election bids – instead of only Cornell du Houx – shows an utter lack of leadership in keeping his political house in order. Erin Herbig needs to resign and withdraw from her re-election bid. Tolerance is one thing, playing the victim to get re-elected is another. Herbig’s integrity as a public servant has been tainted; all anyone will ever see her as now is the other half of this messy and sordid incident.
Your partisan colors are showing so brightly I had to put on sunglasses.
Give us all a break, please. There is absolutely no evidence Erin Herbig has done anything that has compromised her integrity or her right to run for re-election. If you don’t like her, don’t vote for her, but to go around insinuating she has done something wrong is dishonest and reprehensible.
i am pretty sure there was an extramarital affair here, no? Seems like an integrity issue if you ask me.
The genesis of this thread is whether a domestic abuse victim has enough integrity to hold political office.
Why are we even discussing this? Naran Row-Spaulding is the only person who needs to be consulted on issues of personal responsibility and integrity.
Don’t you have to be married to have an extramarital affair…..? They were not married.
Herbig was married to someone else, when she went to Augusta. According to the timeline cited by du Houx, she was married when they started having a relationship in Augusta.
Thanks for the clarification… It wasn’t clear in the article.
If you google their names, you will find many articles online from the past months, outlining more of the details. Neither of them is innocent of responsibility for this scandal.
And I would be looking to du Houx for the truth too.
She has done a lot wrong, including filing a false report (her original statement for the Temporary PFA), to say the least.
As his sister, it would behoove you, your mother, and the other members of your family to stop trying to beat on Herbig, and let the scandal die. You’re not doing your brother any favors.
I am not beating on Herbig. I am simply telling the truth that the media neglected to provide about her.
You’re still not doing your brother any favors. If your family had left this situation alone, it’s likely she wouldn’t have released the settlement contract. Now everybody knows that Alex misrepresented the reasons he withdrew from the election, and that he’s banned from Belfast without notifying the police, and from going to the State House, for up to ten years.
The public deserves to know the truth, but still — you’re not helping him.
He couldn’t state specifically why he dropped out b/c of the agreement. I don’t think his mother or him should be told to keep their mouths shut, as that is simply unfair.
He agreed to it, when he signed the contract. That was his choice.
The two other replies speak for themselves.
There’sapparently no evidence that Cornell du Houx has done anything wrong, either. If not, why didn’t the police charge him with anything? If you don’t like him, don’t vote for him, but to go around insuinating he has done something wrong is dishonest and reprehensible. As for the Democratic Party telling candidates to get off the ballot, that’s equally offensive. The decision of whether to send du Houx back to Augusta lies with his constituents, not Emily Cain and Ben Grant.
They’re both responsible for this scandal. She was married, and they both should have known better.
We didn’t send them to Augusta to have an affair.
“Herbig’s integrity as a public servant has been tainted; all anyone will ever see her as now is the victim of domestic abuse.”
It’s astounding that 34 people so far “like” this statement.
So putting aside whether Herbig was or wasn’t abused, you are trying to tell us that domestic abuse victims have no integrity and are not fit for public office? Seriously?
No, this “incident” and Herbig’s transformed reputation as the “victim” will precede her. Any other legislator, who is in the know, will interact with her based on this incident. If Herbig takes the House floor to introduce a bill, many will refer to this incident as a point of reference. It will not be Rep. Herbig from Belfast and the bill being presented. It will be Rep. Herbig from Belfast and the restraining order and the private agreement-which reads more like legal coercion; the ongoing and unprecedented publicity; and, if any other House member casted those two aside in time to listen, the bill being presented. Herbig’s effectiveness as a Legislator is now diminished.
Forevermore, when someone googles either name, up will come this sad, sordid spectacle from their past. Entombed forever, on the internet. It’s a damned shame they didn’t tend to business instead of fooling around.
So all legislators should abstain from romantic relationships?
Ask the constituents of Herbig and du Houx. Have those constituents gotten their tax money’s worth?
And if any legislator does that, it would be THAT legislator not worthy of office.
Again, this thread is about integrity as it relates to whether Herbig is a victim of domestic abuse.
It has nothing to do with Herbig being female. It has to do with her poor choices, and her conduct unbecoming an elected official. We don’t send our elected representatives to Augusta to fool around on the taxpayer dime.
Clearly, neither Herbig nor du Houx was “ready for prime time.”
Do you even know what a “thread” is on a message board?
Because that’s what she is.
I’m not sure but I think it’s because she’s the VICTIM.
Wow!! he’s lucky he didn’t get exiled to Elba….
or Florida!
BY reading this story it looks like one fellow dem had some pretty good dirt on another fellow dem. Barred from entering city of Belfast, for a decade? Hey Bangor, if we did that to about 300 people the crime rate in Bangor would go to ZERO. Let’s do this.
Wow! He must have been very bad to have signed such a one-sided agreement.
He couldn’t even tell the truth about why he decided not to run for re-election; that probably rankled someone so much she decided to leak the agreement.
His mother and sister didn’t help, with their continued rattling of the cyber cages. If they’d kept quiet and let the scandal die down, it’s likely Herbig wouldn’t have released the agreement details. Instead, his mother insisted on painting him as a “hero done wrong,” and making sleazy allegations against Herbig.
You’re absolutely right.
Thank you. I can sympathize with the Houx clan, believe it or not. However, there’s a time one needs to just STHU and let things play out.
I think so, too. It’s amazing how stupid, impulsive, and lacking in judgment some people are.
Yeah, but what she has been saying is legitimate. Further, you can’t really blame her for wanting to defend her son against all the attacks. Now, they should fully expose everything, including all the facts and details, as this will clear his name.
Here’s the bottom line — as a mother, it has to really stink, watching your kid get dragged through the hedge backward, in the media, and in one’s political circles. (Regardless that it’s his own darned fault, because he should have been tending to business in Augusta, instead of fooling around with a married woman who was his colleague at the State House).
The same applies to his family. I understand it’s got to be really tough to take, when it’s someone you love and care about.
HOWEVER — there are times in life when the best course of action is to shut one’s mouth, sit on one’s hands, and just let time pass by. Sometimes, doing “nothing” really is the wisest decision one can make.
Your family chose not to pursue that wise course of action. So? Now the agreement has been revealed.
Has it hurt, or helped the situation, and your brother?
Herbig definitely leaked this. I am sure she is reading this—-she is obsessed with seeing her name in the headlines, good or bad. She at least owes this guy the common decency of sticking to her end of the agreement. Remember that nobody was found guilty of anything here—this didn’t even make it to court.
Better get your facts straight. This case did make it to court when Herbig requested, and the district court granted, a temporary protection from abuse order. It was settled at the eleventh hour, before a court hearing on the merits. The settlement agreement gave both parties the benefit of keeping their dirty linen in private, until someone, probably Herbig, leaked it.
As to “common decency of sticking to her [Herbig’s] end of the agreement”, you would better ask about du Houx’s lack of common decency when he lied about the reason he dropped his re-election bid. And maybe that’s why Herbig leaked the agreement, if she leaked it: so du Houx couldn’t get away with his lies.
Lie? I think he was holding up to his end of the agreement to not speak about this. As any skilled politician, he bent the truth. Tell u one thing, though, this whole thing stinks of fish if you ask me.
politics is dirty these days—no wonder nothing gets done.
You call it bending the truth; most call it lying.
He could have easily complied with the agreement and been truthful by simply saying, “I am not running for re-election and have no further statement about the matter.”
Herbig lied in her court statement for the restraining order when she said their relationship began “late 2011.” I’m sure Alex did some freaky stuff but to lie in a restraining order gives other honest victims a bad name.
She also lied and said he owned a gun….but he never did.
?????? Why did he have a permit to carry a concealed weapon if he never owned a gun?
i think the agreement implicitly obligated him to lie about why he didnt run. he couldnt say he wasnt running pursuant to an agreement, the terms of which are confidential. to the extent his explanation was dishonest, it harmed no one and didnt deny herbig any benefit she had bargained for in their agreement.
The notion that du Houx was “implicitly obligated” to lie is nonsensical. In fact, the agreement provided that the parties would not publicly discuss the terms of their settlement. du Houx could have easily complied with that by simply stating “I am not running for re-election and have no further statement about the matter.” Period. End of discussion.
bandbox are you one of her current lovers?
No. How many times are you going to ask me?
Clearly, he, and his mother, misrepresented the real reason he withdrew from the election. So much for all the “hero off to serve his country” stuff.
“Democrats just being democrats.”
How about, “democrats gone wild”?
Party of the people my arse!
At least they are not serving jail time like the Republican
who just got 7 days.
Yet.
Who’d want to see pictures of her, awake, for that matter?
Banned for 10 years? Wow. Maybe the judges and their “Suspended Sentences” should take note of this.
Sounds like a dusty old western, run out of town…
Judge is a friend of the family.
Wake up people… listen to yourself. Erin Herbig is the victim here. Domestic violence continues because of those who stick their heads in the sand. This is not about politics. This man agreed to some pretty tough restrictions. This should tell us that the unknown details must be pretty serious. Instead of looking to blame the victim, lets support them.
Herbig is the alleged victim. Remember Houx was never convicted, never went in front of a judge, and was never charged with a crime. Now I don’t know if Herbig told the truth or not but I do know she did a disservice to all Mainers and victims of DV by not going through with the protection order. Instead of the message that DV can happen to anyone and the legal system can help the victim, she sent the message that “I feel safe because he promised to stop”.
Furthermore, the agreement being breached seems more like a person trying to ruin the other person, more than a victim trying to get over the incident.
Ummm…pretty sure we know she was telling the truth. I can’t imagine someone like du Houx whose whole identity is his life as a politician just gives up his political career over something made up. And do you really think she would put this out in the public and risk all of the nasty things people are saying about her? Especially looking back at how easily he has been lying about things these past few months (I am leaving because I was called to duty)…seems pretty clear to me which one I believe
He couldn’t state that the agreement had anything to do with why he was leaving because that would have totally breached the agreement. Further, his political career was damaged enough by her once she started making all these stories up. So, he figured he would change directions and simply be done with it. Now she has breached the agreement (after Alex paid her $9000 attorney fees). Plus, why hasn’t she at least had the decency to return the ring worth $20,000?
…and speaking of making all these stories up…..you do have quite an imagination!
Harry did she really give you $9.000 in legal fees
More imagination! I love it! $9 in legal fees? Now that is really stretching …uh shrinking the truth!
or is very close to the story.
…Maybe she’s not decent…. Ya think?!?!
You are not doing your brother any favors by making these comments on public websites.
“The document, however, allows Herbig to say Cornell du Houx has abandoned his re-election bid and moved out of state”. Every military person I have known, had a pretty good idea they where getting called up, long before they got the offical order. But thats neither here nor there, I have a question for you. How did Herbig know that Houx was moving out of state when the agreement was made?
he was protecting his military career period. Just being accused could ruin his life… also her lover was her lawyer.. Now that she got her free legal council she is free to seek out other victims
What’s your problem???? Are you one of her cast-0ffs?
Sounds to me like she could be the instigator in this situation. She knows she’s safe and has some dirt on this guy — she instead of telling him she wanted to move on decided to have yet another affair with her lawyer while still keeping this guy on a string incase things didn’t work out. When she decided she didn’t need him anymore she expected him to be over it too — he hadn’t had months of sleeping with someone else to get used to it being over.
Very true.
She is as far as a victim as Alex is from Belfast. In fact, I believe that she was actually the one who hit him upside the head during one of her fits. Hm. Maybe we should do more about domestic violence for men who idealize their partners.
Are you saying he struck her in the head?
No SHE hit him in the head and left a large bruise on his head. HE could have easily pressed charges on HER.
But, he didn’t press charges. Why?
Meanwhile, you’re making accusations of domestic assault against Herbig. Some people would call that defamation. Maybe you should call your own attorney. The BDN will give up your real name in about ten seconds.
Then why didn’t he?
http://youtu.be/ble4FtCDFSs Yes and she planned and had her wedding here..
Now this victim you speak of . Where is her husband durning all this?
Frightening as it is, so many commenters still view “their woman” as chattel and to be subjected to a reign of terror, if the “little woman” doesn’t learn to keep her mouth shut and learn her lesson……..about who’s the boss. When a woman files for a PFA order, she is only listing a few horrifying incidents. The emotional, mental and physical assaults on her can’t really be recorded on one piece of legal paper.
You need to seek help for your anger against all men.
Nobody knows for sure he did anything wrong.
She wanted to date another man and he was in her way. so she accused the man of doing something wrong… and wanted her porn movies back… I guess you can lie to the courts and the general public all you want if you want to change mates.
I don’t have any anger toward men. What a broad statement.
Attorneys and witnesses knew for sure that du Houx was doing something wrong. Evidently, they ignored the idea that they call you up and fill you in on the stalking behavior of du Houx and the fright and fear it instilled in Herbig. .
I haven’t a clue as to how you arrive at the concept that I have anger towards “all men” when my comment is referring to men who stalk the women who have ended their relationship. Stalking, following , hounding, constant harassment, lurking in areas where the Ex is, photographing her movements, leaving creepy, obscene and menacing messages and voicemails IS NOT normal or sane behavior. It’s also against the law. Unstable women are guilty of stalking their EX’S also. These types can be very treacherous, as they not only stalk and threaten their EX, they also track and trail the Ex’s new girl friend.
I assume (by your odd comment) that stalking, following and threatening an Ex romantic partner (or spouse) is acceptable behavior in your world.
If you actually knew he did any of that I would listen to you. But he hasn’t. There is no evidence of it whatsoever.
She had all the evidence she needed (and witnesses) to take it to court. She too, had an obligation and duty to her constituents to perform to the best of her ability. A legislator can’t perform as she should, when an ex-lover is constantly stalking, threatening and keeping tabs on her movements.
When she agreed to an out of court settlement and resolution, the proof of her allegations would be kept sealed in the contract they both signed. She knew legal restrictions were placed on his behavior as well as serious constraints on his access to the Statehouse. She probably felt confident that she could resume her legislative duties as well as have du Houx’s behavior restricted enough to finally feel she could move about freely, without du Houx lurking around everywhere she went. By agreeing to an out of the public eye…out of court settlement, she must have felt that would end her nightmare.
Herbig claimed the Brunswick lawmaker stalked and threatened her. The dispute ultimately ended with a court settlement in May. In an e-mail to Ben Grant at the end of June, du Houx reiterated that Herbigs allegations were false! A claim he made all along, before the court settlement and even after the settlement that he signed.
If a State Legislator is being accused of stalking, hounding, harrassing, threatening and frighteneing an ex-romantic partner, and all those allegations are groundless and false, why would he sign such an out of court, full of lies settlement? Any rational legislator would hire an attorney to deal with Herbig’s imaginary allegations and allow the delusional woman to be taken to court in order to prove his innocence and have his name and reputation cleared of all those “false allegations.”
BTW……you don’t have to listen to me.
Sometimes all you have to do is state the question, and it answers itself.
It’s that obvious.
You are convinced that what Herbig alleged actually happened. Why do you think police and prosecutors were not convinced?
Because the police were informed that an out of court settlement was in the works? The police “never” said they dropped the case because Erin Herbig was a big fat liar and her allegations were unfounded and false. They dropped their investigation on May 11…the same day the settlement was being drafted and signed. I think du Houx signed it on may 12….2 days before the scheduled court date in Belfast to extend the PFA.
You are confusing civil and criminal proceedings. One has nothing to do with the other. Police and prosecutors focus solely on criminal proceedings, where the burden of proof is much higher. I don’t presume that Herbig is telling the truth or lying; I only know what she alleges. There have been no findings of fact. You, on the other hand, presume she is telling the truth and that du Houx is guilty. Our system presumes him innocent until proven otherwise. Police have not said they “dropped” their investigation. What state and capitol police said was that a prosecutor reviewed their findings and decided not to prosecute. That means either du Houx did not do what Herbig claims he did or there is not enough evidence to prove it. Take your pick.
Come on people. Really! This is nothing but a bunch of political hogwash. There is nothing legally binding about this agreement. Neither Herbig or her attorney have the legal right to ban anyone from entering the City of Belfast, the State Capitol or anywhere else for a decade no matter how many agreements they sign. Cornell du Houx may be banned from the State Capitol if the Capitol Police served him with a criminal trespass order but that is only good for a year at best.
“In addition to having no contact with Herbig, the private agreement, which was obtained by the Bangor Daily News, requires that Cornell du Houx pay all of Herbig’s $9,000 in legal fees and turn over any computer hard drives and data storage devices with pictures of Herbig or “any other women sleeping or in a state of undress” to Herbig’s lawyer.”
Key words “Private Agreement”. Not court ordered which means its unenforceable. The only recourse that Herbig might have if Cornell du Houx fails to abide by the agreement is to sue him in civil court. Who’s to say if Cornell du Houx turns over all the naked picture of Herbig or any other women, or if they even exist.
I’d say its time that Herbig submitted her resignation. She has clearly proven that she lacks the maturity to serve in any elected capacity.
Seems to me this “private agreement” was made due to some leverage on the ladies side. If you don’t do this I won’t do ?……except you don’t know what that is because it wasn’t disclosed. If he stays clear of those forbidden places the undisclosed info will never become public. Better than any court ordered agreement because he must stand to look REALLY BAD if he violates the agreement or he wouldn’t have agreed to it. Good for her for making this deal and keeping this “fine gent” from coming anywhere near her.
“The saga began in late April when Herbig, a Democrat who represents District 43, requested a temporary protection from abuse order against Cornell du Houx in Belfast District Court. Herbig claimed that Cornell du Houx had stalked, harassed and threatened her after their relationship ended and and taken photos and video of her sleeping. The order was granted and a hearing was scheduled for May 14.”
Looks to me like everything was disclosed. I’d say the leverage was the possible protection order that would have prohibited him from possessiing a firearm. Not good for a military career.
Still doesn’t change the fact that she needs to do the right thing and resign.
By reaching the agreement, du Houx prevented very embarrassing and damaging facts coming out at a hearing on the merits of the domestic abuse matter and the likelihood of further court orders and sanctions.
bandbox are you her lover also
I don’t even know her, but if I did, I wouldn’t be interested. She’s not my type; she looks too much like Howdy Doody and that Mad Magazine character Alfred Neuman.
Agreed.
the leverage could have been the fact that if du houx took the matter to trial and lost, he be prohibited from owning or possessing firearms. if herbig lost the trial she would experience no consequence. considering he is in the military, they were never on equal footing in terms of what they stood to gain/lose absent a private agreement.
if it was the way youre speculating, it sounds a lot like he was the victim of extortion.
Demanding reimbursement for legal fees is not, in any way, shape, or form, extortion.
The portion of the above comment that sounds like extortion was the “if you don’t do this i won’t do? . . .” Whether or not the demand for legal fees is extortion would depend on the context of the demand, but thats not what i was referring to. The above commenter was referring to the release of information. If du Houx had demanded she waive any claim that she may have to attorney fees or he’d release compromising photographs of the two, that would be extortion.
You said “it sounds a lot like he was the victim of extortion.”
Agreed. 100 percent.
Actually, the agreement is a contract. Contracts do not need to be approved by a court before being endorsed by the involved parties. There should be an enforcement mechanism in it. For example, if Cornell du Houx violates the agreement, Herbig could refile her case. Or if Herbig violates the agreement, she could forfeit compensation for legal fees.
I would be very surprised if the case wasn’t actually dismissed “without prejudice” on condition that Herbig would have to allege a new instance of abuse, harassment, or stalking. That would be the settlement’s enforcement mechanism for Herbig to use again Cornell du Houx.
Unfortunately, I don’t trust that the paper has done enough homework on the circumstances surrounding the case’s dismissal.
The leverage is in paragraph 14 of the agreement, which provides that if one party or his family discusses the matter, the other side may disclose the agreement and discuss it publicly.
I think he should have had a better attorney.
Or his attorney should have had a better client.
Sounds like both parties’ attorneys should have found better clients.
She cries the victim — he agrees to these insane conditions along with a clause that they would agree to keep the terms confidential (which was the only thing she had to obide by) and she breaks the silence. Sounds to me this lady has some anger and vindicative issues that are coming to light. Perhaps she’s not so innocent as she’s let on. She had herself a little lawyer and he probably couldn’t think himself out of the situation and therefore agreed to things that he would have never agreed to if he knew this “woman” was going to be blabbing all over the news within a couple months to keep things stirred up. Her lawyer says now that its out everyone can move on with their lives. She must have been biting at the bit to spread her venom to ruin him even more so now she can move on. I say move right out of the House — we don’t need someone like you!
In the dictionary A Vixen… is a female fox.. look it up…
You don’t want to go in to the foxes Den.
Anyone who votes for this woman it is because she led you there, the sympathy vote or the sympathy anything for that matter is being played here.
how many men has she distroyed already???
Apparently three. You and two others but who is counting?
Lord God Almighty, this is what is down in our State House creating laws??
And much worse…..
Swell use of public tax money, huh?
My search of the Maine Statutes did not reveal any precedent for banning a person from a town. Of course, saying someone is banned from a town in a backroom type of deal would probably not be legally binding anyways. The purpose of having someone agree to such a measure appears, in this case, to be a way For Herbig to try and cause trouble later if he happens to step foot in Belfast or in the capital without notice. The goal of this is to keep attention on herself. Actual victims of domestic violence tend to isolate themselves out of fear of retribution form the abuser, which Herbig is clearly not demonstrating in her behavior. I wouldn’t vote for someone who cares more about seeing their face in headlines then serving their community. During her time in office she has not aided in passing one single peace of legislation, go check her record. So, what is her real goal of being in office again?
It does seem unusual, but it’s a private agreement, not a court order.
It’s a privately negotiated, legally-binding contract between two parties.
Wouldnt it be sweet if we could form an agreement to keep LePage from entering Augusta.
roflmbo
Far too many women file these temporary PFA’s. They use them in divorce custody especially. So many men who are NOT violent or harassing at all get these put on them. The women that do this are damaging the rightful cause to curb domestic violence. There are REAL cases of domestic violence out there. Women who use PFA’s in an attempt to gain a strategic advantage in child custody cases/divorce, politics in this case or any other agenda should be ashamed of themselves. This crap has been going on far too long. If the courts would start sanctioning the ones who outright lie and mislead the courts it would stop.
Her big needs to go.
I am dumbfounded, flabbergasted, no! mind-blown that the media has not done more to draw out the fact that Herbig had an affair, lied about the timing of the affair to protect herself, politically sabotaged a career, and is now sleeping with her divorce attorney, and yet none of this side of the story is deemed newsworthy. Please, for the love of all things good and right, rise up ye reporters, do a bit of sleuthing, and uncover the most relevant morsels of this drama, a drama whose worst victim is an ex-husband mummed by yet another of Herbig’s lawyer shenanigans and who deserves to be the phoenix rising out of the ashes while Herbig plummets to her rightful demise. Nough said.
Herbig lied in her court statement for the temporary restraining order by saying their relationship began in late 2011 (when she was married). It began over a year ago while in session and taking weekend trips to DC, California and New Orleans with Alex.
Temp restraining orders are easy to get, but to lie to the court hurts other HONEST accusers in their attempt to be safe.
He may be wacked, but Erin Herbig should step down.
I would pretty much bet she was spoiled by her daddy as a child… let play guess who Erins newest lover is?? or how many lovers does Erin have at the present time??
She seems to go through lovers like I change socks. Something to be proud of Dad.
At first glance it appears that Frau Herbig was guilty of racial discrimination against Le Marquis Cornell du Houx because of his French heritage and the possible genetic link to Governor LePage. Her faux pas “hors des liens du marriage” avec Le Marquis can hardly be compared to the baser and more sordid peccadilloes typically associated with reprobates like Barney Frank and Ted Kennedy (who likely was pressed into service by Charon on the briny depths of the River Styx). Frau Herbig, however, transcends the mundane in her endeavor to outdo Aphrodite with unsuspecting consorts and the fury of her scorn.
French or maybe Belge?
I bow in your general direction, O Queeg One.
I don’t care if they are Ds or Rs…The point is that Mainers keep electing buffoons like these (how much you want to be the closets of numerous state senators and reps are filled with skeletons) we will never improve. Stop partisan bickering over whose candidates are the bigger scumbags…Seems like they ALL are.
Two questions:
Will Ramona be accompanying her son to the third world?
Will Angus be retracting his “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” reelection endorsement of Cornell du Houx?
I wonder if Cornell du Houx has a defamation of character suit against Ben Grant and the Maine Democratic Party. Houx had already indicated to the Democratic leadership that he was going to withdraw, Grant opens up to the press and publicly pushes du Houx on the issue, as a result three or four more articles on this whole incident follow – including the above bombshell. The question is, if Grant had kept his mouth shut would we be reading this article today?
Perhaps. However, it didn’t help that du Houx and his family continuously misrepresented the facts of his departure from Augusta, while attacking Herbig. Just more lousy choices.
Well, with Du Houx gone, there will be one less conflict of interest on the Energy and Utilities Committee where Du Houx stuffed 13 citizen sponsored wind bills.
http://www.windtaskforce.org/photo/abstain-for-maine
Last year I was at an out of state conference that du Houx was at, and he was hitting on half the women there, all of whom were repulsed. Rep. Herbig’s only fault in this was to develop any sort of relationship with a man that looks like he’s from Mars, and is a downright sleeze. I can totally see him becoming obsessed with her, since I doubt there’s ever been another woman who even gave him a second look.
I take it, he didn’t hit on you… (-;
Doesn’t anyone find it strange that Erins new lover who is a lawyer charged her $9,000.00 to write up a letter for Alex to sign, then Alex had to pay Erin’s lovers fees.
If this lover charges $900 per hour, was all this time spent on business???
I’m thinking this attorney is probably simple minded and she needs his services.
LOL! Hardly, I’ve aged out of the getting hit on by young guys stage!
“Erin’s new lover who is a lawyer”? Can’t be! Says here that her lawyer is married with children:
http://www.camden law.com
Surely you’re not suggesting Erin is an adulteress!
Have you a better link? The one you supplied above leads only to the main site. Thanks.
Sorry, try:
www.camdenlaw.com/ChisMaclean.htm
It doesn’t respond to copy/paste.
I truly hope her lawyer’s wife and children aren’t following reader comments.
Thank you.
Unfortunately, this is what happens when certain people won’t stop beating the drum, making false claims, and defending the indefensible. If they’d stayed quiet, it’s likely the agreement woudn’t have been made public. The settlement details make it plain that the court case wouldn’t have gone well for du Houx.
I still think Herbig owns a large share of the responsibility for the scandal, because she made poor choices. Clearly, neither she nor du Houx were “ready for prime time” in Augusta. However, if du Houx and his family had remained quiet and let the scandal die away, the settlement details would likely still be private. Lousy choices and decisions, all the way around.
The constituents of both representatives got a raw deal, and the taxpayers got fleeced on campaign money, salaries, benefits and per diem expenses.
I think you’re right about du Houx and his family and their refusal to keep quiet. Paragraph 14 of the agreement provides an escape hatch if either party or his/her family discusses the matter. In that event, the other party (the “aggrieved party”) may disclose the entire settlement agreement and discuss it publicly. That’s probably what happened here; du Houx and his mother stupidly blabbed and made misrepresentations, so Herbig caused the agreement to be published.
I don’t necessary believe that they should have ‘kept quiet’. I mean Herbig caused a lot o unnecessary collateral damage and I think Alex has every right to explain what is really happening. In fact, if I were him I might have let every person I know how paranoid, delusional, manipulative and simply disrespectful she is. Further, I would have never signed a contact that refused him the freedom of speech (at the very least). As a soldier, somebody who fights for simple freedoms we have, he just got them all stripped from him in the contract.
He voluntarily signed the agreement. Nobody forced him to sign the contract.
Please understand – I realize it has to be hard, watching a loved family member being raked over the coals, in the media, and losing their elected office.
However, the continued comments from his family are most likely the reason the agreement was made public — and you need to ask yourself — have those details, now revealed, helped or hurt him further?
To me, signing such a document says he had far more to fear from a court case. There is no other rational explanation for his agreeing to the terms.
The contract didn’t take anything away from du Houx. It was an agreement, a contract, a meeting of the minds, and if he didn’t like it, he was free not to sign it. If he was so right and such a fighting soldier (actually a Marine) as you say, he should have rejected it and let the domestic violence matter proceed to a hearing on the merits.
Care to answer a question directly?
Here goes: Does any woman deserve to be the victim of a stalker?
My guess is that you’d be far more sympathetic if their political affiliation was different. Heck, you were downright kind when Wintle had a breakdown and put someone’s life in immediate danger.
The problem, of course, is that you’re not interested in debate. You’re pushing an ideological agenda. There’s nothing wrong with that, but don’t pretend that the rest of us are too dense to realize that.
It’s all about who butters your bread, I suppose.
You’re wrong.
–> Here’s what you should have written:
“Does anyone deserve to be the victim of a stalker?”
I do not differentiate between females and males. This is 2012, not 1912.
The answer, of course, is “no.”
That’s not the point in this instance. The point is, neither Herbig or du Houx conducted themselves like adults in Augusta. They’re both responsible for the situation in which they now find themselves.
To say anything else is unfairly prejudicial against the male in this instance, in which I do not believe. They’re both responsible.
–> As for your partisan accusations, you can review my comments regarding former state Rep. Burns, and Mike Hein on AMG — both Republicans who were recently convicted of Clean Elections fraud. I think they’re both cretinous scoundrels, who deserve every bit of public humiliation and punishment they receive.
Wintle is mentally ill. What he did, in pulling a firearm on an innocent bystander was horrific, and I’m very glad nobody was injured. Regardless, you cannot compare mental illness, and someone who has a complete mental breakdown, with purposeful fraud, or other bad behavior like adultery and stalking/harassment.
There’s no legitimate comparison.
tl;dr
I had to walk away after the strawman in your first sentence.
I’d offer a “nice try”, but I’m not willing to lie.
In other words, you lost the argument, but you’d prefer to pretend otherwise.
Got it.
So be it for all the Wind Scoundrels and Green Religious fanatics!
Next on the list of self-serving wind scoundrels , Angus King.
It’s good Disgusta is living up to it’s name
Boy got the crazy eyes!
We need to remember the facts of this case. The police never interviewed Alex and their investigation did not turn up any evidence of a crime being committed. Last I knew, a person is still innocent until proven guilty in this country. We have a rule of law in this country for a reason and Herbig, or someone of her behalf, circumvented that rule of law by breaking the agreement that was in place to protect both parties from further political scandal.
According to the BDN article, the agreement allows Herbig to divulge the details under certain circumstances. Same for du Houx.
I suspect that du Houx breached paragraph 14 of the agreement in the first instance, thereby permitting Herbig to publicly disclose the complete agreement.
Or she’s just wildly upset that people are beginning to understand her intentions.
The terms of the agreement voluntarily signed by du Houx make that highly unlikely. Nobody made him sign it — and his doing so says volumes.
Well, as of this moment, Cornell du Houx is on DOUBLE SECRET
PROBATION!
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is more to this guy than we were told. He’s beyond creepy. Good for her for not letting him get away with all that he did to her.
You have no idea who he is. You will find out eventually what went on. He did nothing to her.
This makes no sense. What sane person would sign such a draconian agreement if “they did nothing wrong”? If he did nothing wrong, he should have fought the issue in court. He could have sued her for defamation. He did neither.
Then why did he sign the contract? Why was he afraid of a hearing on the merits in court?
omitted
(edited away by poster, again, because it won’t post where it’s supposed to and, therefore, makes no sense)
There’s a poster who has the handle DISQUSUX, and sometimes, it’s true.
It’s not good form to bite the hand that feeds you. I know, I know, disqus doesn’t pay you. But it carries the dog chow to the bowl, so to speak.
BDN is reporting very one sided since this story first came out…she’s had her face and voice in the news about this issue — her attorney (lover) is obviously leading her along the way. This guy didn’t stand a chance against her and her attorney they could take anything and twist it and he knew it. If she wanted him out of her life she should have called off the engagement — and yes Erin this means you give back the ring and make it official.
so somehow he is the victim now? Twisted!
Not saying there’s a victim at ALL. Just saying that BDN has yet to get his side of what occurred, there is always two sides and so far Erin has been telling her version for several months. Wonder why she didn’t call off the engagement (I guess she did according to her — but still had the ring — hmmmmm). She doesn’t seem to be the most upstanding person so I don’t believe the story according the Erin. Just wondering where the real truth lays…Why is she considered the victim —just because she has had a voice and was able to blab to the papers and anyone else that would listen. I think she set the guy up and when he got upset her plan was fulfilled and she moved on (oh wait she was already sleeping in someone else’s bed — never mind)
You seem focused on character issues and want to completely ignore the facts here. Who is sleeping with whom, rings, setups, planes, trains and automobiles blah, blah, blah. None of that changes what happened and the results of what happened. The agreement was the result of what happened. Period. Remember that he AGREED to this which means he agrees that he bears some responsibility and suffers the consequences. If he didn’t agree then he shouldn’t have signed it. Continuing to portray him as a victim doesn’t help. Separate the issues and then proceed. Most of what is being said about her is speculation and inuendo. Domestic abuse, stalking, and harassment etc. can be explained away by blaming the victim. Doesn’t make it right.
Du Houx’s judgement is flawed from his personal matters to his absurd support for wind power at any cost. He is not willing to listen to anyone else and plays on his computer when people have driven hours to testify before the leg. He was not working for the citizens who elected him.
Alex should have known better than to get mixed up with someone like Herbig. But still, something doesn’t seem right here. He’s basically been publicly humiliated and had lost his elected position, while Herbig gets to skate through with no consequences. As I understand it, she was living outside of her district while serving in the legislature, which isn’t allowed, and it appears she violated the confidentiality agreement . Why are the Democrats leaving her completely off the hook?