WASHINGTON – Forbes reports new evidence, found through discovery, that sounds troublesome for Arianna Huffington, in the lawsuit brought by Peter Daou and James Boyce.

“Significant new evidence has come to light that demonstrates Arianna Huffington was passing along to third parties Boyce’s and Daou’s confidential ideas and plans about The Huffington Post without Boyce’s and Daou’s knowledge or consent, then using that information with those third parties to launch the website. The new evidence also shows defendants Huffington and Lerer actively schemed to conceal Boyce’s and Daou’s central role in The Huffington Post’s creation.” – Rodney S. Margol, attorney for plaintiffs

An earlier class action lawsuit spearheaded by Jonathan Tasini was dismissed. Tasini alleged “implied promise” of compensation by HuffPost. I’m sorry, but I just can’t imagine this at all.

In discovery, however, the plaintiffs obtained the minutes of a meeting held March 29, 2005, at which Huffington, Lerer, Sekoff and Breitbart “discussed possible responses to press inquiries on the subject of when and how the idea for the website originated.” According to the minutes, Sekoff and Breitbart suggested that Huffington and Lerer deflect questions about how they came together by saying it “doesn’t matter.”

The plaintiffs say the exchanges detailed in the minutes “reflect the deliberate creation of a false and fraudulent ‘narrative’ to explain the origin of the idea for The Huffington Post.”

Full disclosure, both Peter Daou and James Boyce are colleagues. I’ve seen them over multiple years in tremendously stressful and difficult political situations, so I have an idea of the mettle of both of these men.

I started writing on Huffington Post in 2006, but stopped around the time AOL purchased HuffPost, as did many of their original writers I knew. During the time I was fortunate to be a part of the crew regularly featured is when HuffPost was made and became what it once was, though today it’s not the same beast.

Arianna Huffington deserves credit for the coverage by HuffPost on Afghanistan, a subject on which they have been relentless. David Wood’s military coverage received a Pulitzer Prize in April, the first for the Huffington Post.

Arianna Huffington is covered in my book, because of her place in new media and specifically for the coverage HuffPost gave Obama versus Hillary in 2008.

The Forbes report and the facts at issue in it have got to be making some people just a little antsy. AOL, for one.

Taylor Marsh, a veteran political analyst and former Huffington Post contributor, is the author of The Hillary Effect, available at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon. Her new-media blog www.taylormarsh.com covers national politics, women and power.