Wife seeks $30M from former Bush lawyer

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STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A Connecticut woman who says an assault by her husband, a former White House lawyer, has left her unable to work is seeking $30 million.

In court papers filed last week, Mary Farren, 43, of New Canaan said her husband could also be unable to support her and their two daughters if he is convicted and sentenced to prison for the attack, The Advocate of Stamford, Conn., reported.

John Michael Farren, 57, a former Xerox general counsel who served in the White House counsel's office during President George W. Bush's administration and as undersecretary of commerce under his father, remains in jail facing charges that include kidnapping and attempted murder. His wife told police he beat her with a flashlight and strangled her Jan. 6 after she tried to talk to him about a divorce.

"Given the community in which we live, and the station of living to which we are accustomed, and our plans for the future life and education of our children, the defendant's obligations to support his children and me are substantial," Mary Farren said in an affidavit.

She is a lawyer with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, based in Washington, D.C.