Halliburton and CNN Categorize Gang Rape Allegation as a “Dispute”

Memo to CNN and Halliburton: A gang-rape should never, ever be described as a "dispute". According to Raw Story, Halliburton is claiming that the civil suit brought by Jamie Leigh Jones alleging that she was gang-raped while working for Halliburton in Iraq must be heard by an arbitrator of Halliburton's choosing rather than in a court because of an employment agreement to settle disputes in this manner.

""She signed an employment contract and there is a mandatory arbitration clause in that contract," CNN legal analyst told Kiran Chetry on CNN's American Morning Tuesday. "It says if there's any dispute arising out of your employment or related to your employment, that dispute doesn't go before a jury, doesn't go before trial judge, goes before an arbitrator."

Of course, if the case had been properly investigated as a criminal matter in the first place, Jones would not be in this position in the first place. This case is about as seriously FUBAR as you can get and should immediately be subject to Congressional inquiry.

"The bottom line is I am surprised that the Justice Department and that the prosecutors have not investigated this to its completion and brought charges and I have to say I think that is coming," Hostin said. "I think after all the press that we've seen, that is going to come, but this is a civil action, an action that she is bringing and typically when you bring a civil action, you can bring it according to The constitution or according to your rights you can bring it in a court of law. She signed that right away with her employment contract and people do it all the time."