es," the National Enquirer hired Janklow and Traum in New York to handle its growing libel business. They also added a $13 million dollar research division with 28 fact checkers. Writers were issued new policy outlines that required two sources for a story and instructions to "get it on tape." Janklow & Traum were a temporary firm while a search was being made for a firm with more experience in the field of libel. Rogers & Wells later became the legal team for the paper. Mr. Pope had a previous relationship with the firm, it had defended the Italian paper Il Postino in libel cases, and had a fine reputation. Its founder, William Rogers, was Secretary of State under Richard Nixon. Attorney Richard Winfield coordinated a team of ten attorneys on the National Enquirer account. The firm of Allison, Selvin & Weiner, which had done libel work for Playboy, handled West Coast libel suits.
In 1979 the Enquirer's no-pay-off record was finally eroded by a large payoff made to Marianna Lui and her lawyer, Robert Steinberg of Beverly Hills. Ms. Lui had been rumored to be a Communist agent and Hong Kong hostess who had an affair with Richard Nixon in 1965 and 1966. Steinberg took the case on retainer when he found out that Richard Nixon was willing to testify. The case was settled two years after filing, and Steinberg just about broke even. Steinberg notes that the paper carefully protects itself by using word like "suspected" and "alleged". He notes,
There is a smattering of truth to the whole article. It was slanted so far as to make it scandalous but not so far as to make it libelous. It was right on the wire with some very solid investigative reporting.
As to legal technique, Selvin was the Enquirer's representative, as Steinberg elaborates:
All they did was keep filing demurrers. They took us up to the court of appeals on motions. Their tactic was to file so many delays, file so many papers, to force a plaintiff to d...