"America has a rich and cherished history of unproven accusations and counter-accusations in the midst of acquisition battles," he said.

The unproven accusations began attracting nationwide attention and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called in to ensure the safety of Hooke and his family.

So perhaps Mr. Corzine's endorsement of Mr. Bryant stems in part from a certain sensitivity about the perils of unproven accusations.

Defense lawyers argued that the sealed records were essentially nothing more than old, unproven accusations, and said it would be unfair to use them to argue for tougher sentences.

Neutral reportage is a common law defense against libel and defamation law suits usually involving the media republishing unproven accusations about public figures.

Mr. Brafman said that the search warrant contained numerous unproven accusations and could prejudice potential jurors.

Mr. Jones's supporters said he was the victim of a spate of unproven accusations.

So began a debate marked as much by unproven accusations and overstatement as by hostility.

Mr. Samper later softened his tone, after criticism from business leaders and the press that he was jeopardizing relations with Washington with unproven accusations.

However, we cannot support this Resolution if it includes unproven accusations which have not yet been judged by the relevant authorities.