Thanks very much for the input
@HadBax. You mention wondering whether Sam made any settlement demand before filing suit, and I think she did, some time back as that rings a bell. I remember thinking that M should have taken the chance to make it go away but didn't. Iirc her attorney was very contemptuous and dismissive of Sam's case when she filed which I thought was foolish, and he was very rude and unprofessional.
I also didn't understand Sam's request for Honeywell's dismissal and thought that was risky and odd. She's stuck with her now. It might have seemed at the time that the Harkles and the Obamas were allies, but I don't think that was ever the case and it certainly is not the case now. Minge tried to cultivate and emulate the Obamas but failed miserably, and her attorney could have found that out before asking that Honeywell be disqualified.
If you're a famous successful black woman with lots of money, the Ho automatically thinks that you're her ally whether you like it or not, a victim of racial abuse and a whingeing stirrer like her.