NY Times Article

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. referee
    the official in a sport who is expected to ensure fair play
    “I’m scared he’s going to come back,” she said, according to the proceedings, in which a court referee at the initial hearing noted bruises on the woman’s arm.
  2. mirrored
    like or characteristic of a mirror image
    She told the police that Mr. Johnson, who is 6-foot-7, had choked her, stripped her of much of her clothing, smashed her against a mirrored dresser and taken two telephones from her to prevent her from calling for help, according to police records.
  3. altercation
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
    The case involved David W. Johnson, 37, who had risen from working as Mr. Paterson’s driver and scheduler to serving in the most senior ranks of the administration, but who also had a history of altercations with women.
  4. allege
    report or maintain
    The alleged assault happened shortly before 8 p.m. on Halloween in the apartment she had shared with Mr. Johnson and her 13-year-old son for about four years, according to police records.
  5. harass
    annoy continually or chronically
    In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice to press her case, complaining that the State Police had been harassing her to drop it.
  6. initiate
    set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
    Through a spokesman, Mr. Paterson said the call actually took place the day before the scheduled court hearing and maintained that the woman had initiated it.
  7. jurisdiction
    the territory within which power can be exercised
    The State Police, which had no jurisdiction in the matter, confirmed that the woman was visited by a member of the governor’s personal security detail.
  8. portray
    represent, as in a work of art
    Many details of the governor’s role in this episode are unclear, but the accounts presented in court and police records and interviews with the woman’s lawyer and others portray a brutal encounter, a frightened woman and an effort to make a potential political embarrassment go away.
  9. retaliation
    action taken in return for an injury or offense
    The woman’s lawyer asked that she not be identified by name because she feared retaliation, in part because she works at a public hospital.
  10. lawyer
    a professional person authorized for legal practice
    Then, just before she was due to return to court to seek a final protective order, the woman got a phone call from the governor, according to her lawyer.
  11. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
    In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice to press her case, complaining that the State Police had been harassing her to drop it.
  12. ensuing
    following immediately and as a result of what went before
    In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice to press her case, complaining that the State Police had been harassing her to drop it.
  13. Attorney General
    the position of the head of the Justice Department and the chief law enforcement officer of the United States
    On Wednesday night, in response to inquiries from The New York Times, Mr. Paterson said in a statement that he would request that Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo investigate his administration’s handling of the matter.
  14. role
    the actions and activities assigned to a person or group
    Many details of the governor’s role in this episode are unclear, but the accounts presented in court and police records and interviews with the woman’s lawyer and others portray a brutal encounter, a frightened woman and an effort to make a potential political embarrassment go away.
  15. Feb
    the month following January and preceding March
    She failed to appear for her next hearing on Feb. 8, and as a result her case was dismissed.
  16. initial
    occurring at the beginning
    “I’m scared he’s going to come back,” she said, according to the proceedings, in which a court referee at the initial hearing noted bruises on the woman’s arm.
  17. alleged
    doubtful or suspect
    The alleged assault happened shortly before 8 p.m. on Halloween in the apartment she had shared with Mr. Johnson and her 13-year-old son for about four years, according to police records.
  18. dismissed
    having lost your job
    She failed to appear for her next hearing on Feb. 8, and as a result her case was dismissed.
  19. assert
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
    And she again asserted that she had been pressured by the State Police.
  20. swept
    possessing sweep
    “I’m glad you’re doing this,” the woman told the referee, “because I thought it was going to be swept under the table because he’s like a government official, and I have problems even calling the police because the state troopers kept calling me and harassing me to drop the charges, and I wouldn’t.”
  21. inquiry
    an instance of questioning
    On Wednesday night, in response to inquiries from The New York Times, Mr. Paterson said in a statement that he would request that Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo investigate his administration’s handling of the matter.
  22. sweep
    clean by using a broom or as if with a broom
    “I’m glad you’re doing this,” the woman told the referee, “because I thought it was going to be swept under the table because he’s like a government official, and I have problems even calling the police because the state troopers kept calling me and harassing me to drop the charges, and I wouldn’t.”
  23. grant
    let have
    The woman was twice granted a temporary order of protection against Mr. Johnson, according to the proceedings in Family Court in the Bronx.
Created on Thu Feb 25 08:48:02 EST 2010

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