Jones v. Clinton
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
990 F.Supp. 657 (1998)
Paula Jones (plaintiff) alleged that then-Governor Bill Clinton (defendant), while she was in his hotel room, made unwanted advances including grabbing her hand, complimenting her appearance, touching her leg, attempting to kiss her neck, and ultimately exposing himself, all of which stopped once she made clear his conduct was unwelcome and left the room; Clinton then reportedly told her to keep the incident between themselves. Jones brought federal sexual-harassment and equal-protection claims along with a state-law claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress, and Clinton moved for summary judgment on all claims.
Whether determining if "extreme and outrageous" conduct rises to an actionable tort for intentional infliction of emotional distress in Arkansas involves analyzing the conduct at issue, the period of time over which it took place, the relationship between plaintiff and defendant, and the defendant's knowledge of any particular susceptibility to emotional distress.