Mark Geragos
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Mark John Geragos (born October 5, 1957) is an American criminal defense attorney best known for defending the musician Michael Jackson, actress Winona Ryder, politician Gary Condit, and Susan McDougal, who was involved in the Whitewater scandal. He also represented Scott Peterson, in another trial that received widespread media attention.[1] He's currently representing Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal, two brothers injured after a tiger escaped in San Francisco Zoo, and pop superstar Chris Brown, accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rihanna. He is also assisting the family of David Carradine during the investigation of his unusual death.[2] He is considered a "celebrity lawyer".[3]
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[edit] Background
Geragos (born Geragosian)[citation needed] was born in Los Angeles, California. He received his bachelor's degree from Haverford College in 1979 and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Loyola Law School in 1982.[4] He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1983.[1] Currently, Geragos is the managing partner at The Law Offices of Geragos and Geragos, a 13-person law firm in Los Angeles.[5]
An Armenian-American, Geragos maintains a close relationship with the Armenian community.[6] He has earned praise from the Armenian National Committee of America[7] He serves on the Advisory Committee of Birthright Armenia,[8] as the chairman of Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry,[9] and also is involved the ministry of the Armenian community.[10] He has been a member of the Armenia Fund International Board of Trustees since 2006.[11]
Geragos was also one of the lead lawyers in a pair of groundbreaking federal class action lawsuits against New York Life Insurance and AXA for insurance policies issued in the early twentieth century during the time of the Armenian Genocide of over 1.5 million Armenians. These two cases settled for over $37.5 million in 2004 and 2005.[12]
[edit] Notable clients
[edit] Susan McDougal
Geragos first came to national attention with the conviction of Whitewater figure Susan McDougal, the former business partner of former President Bill Clinton.[13] McDougal was pardoned by President Clinton on January 20, 2001, as Clinton was about to leave office.[14]
[edit] Winona Ryder
In December 2002, Geragos defended Academy award–nominated actress Winona Ryder on charges of stealing more than $5,500 worth of merchandise from a Beverly Hills, California store in 2001. She was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to undergo psychological and drug counseling.[15]
[edit] Michael Jackson & Scott Peterson
In the early stages of the Michael Jackson molestation case, Geragos handled that case as well as Scott Peterson's death penalty case simultaneously. Though he managed a busy workload since he began working as a lawyer, during this time, he was handling two of the United States's best-known cases. Geragos's "...crushingly busy calendar" in the courtroom earned him a rebuke by a judge in an embezzlement case Geragos was also trying.[16]
On April 26, 2004, Michael Jackson removed Mark Geragos as his attorney, replacing him with Thomas Mesereau. In a public statement provided by his spokesperson Raymone Bain, Jackson stated, "It is imperative that I have the full attention of those who are representing me. My life is at stake..." suggesting that Geragos may not have had enough time to handle his case considering Geragos's workload.[17] Less than a year later Scott Peterson, Geragos's other high profile case, was convicted and sentenced to death. Sometime after Mesereau took up his defense, Jackson attempted to re-hire Geragos, likely displeased by Mesereau. Geragos declined to take the case back, opting to focus his full attention on the Peterson trial.
[edit] Greg Anderson
In 2006, Geragos was back in the headlines for representing Barry Bonds's personal trainer Greg Anderson. On July 5, 2006, Anderson was found in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge William Alsup who jailed Anderson for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury investigating perjury accusations against Bonds. Geragos announced he would file an appeal based on his assertion that the subpoena to testify violated Anderson's July 2005 plea bargain agreement in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative case. [1] Anderson was to be held until he agreed to testify or the grand jury's term expired. Geragos has said his client would not testify. [2] The grand jury expired on July 20, 2006, and Anderson was released from prison two weeks later. [3] On August 28, 2006, Anderson was again found in contempt of court for refusing to testify before a newly convened grand jury and sentenced to prison. [4] Anderson was freed on October 5, 2006 after an order from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Trial Judge had committed legal errors and ordered Anderson's immediate release. Anderson was sent back to jail on November 16, 2006.
[edit] Others
In other cases, Geragos won dismissal of felony kidnapping, arson and criminal threats charges against hip-hop star Nathaniel Hale, whose stage name is Nate Dogg. He also won dismissal of all alcohol-related counts against former President Clinton's brother, Roger Clinton, Jr.[18] In early 2006, Geragos won the dismissal of a prostitution charge against film director Lee Tamahori.[19]
In March 2006, Geragos won a dismissal of special circumstances murder charges against Edward Ovasepian after he was able to prove that the eyewitness identification of his client was fatally flawed. Ovasepian who had been held without bail for over eight months was freed from custody and is back at work. This dismissal came on the heels of another exoneration of a Geragos client, Adrian Avedissian, who was freed from custody and his case dismissed by the prosecution after DNA tests conducted by the defense proved that he also had been falsely accused as a result of a flawed eyewitness identification. Both men are represented by the Geragos firm in potential civil suits.
Geragos was also the attorney for Cameron Brown, accused of murdering his four-year-old daughter by throwing her off a Rancho Palos Verdes cliff. The twelve (12) week trial ended in August 2006 without a verdict. The jury deliberated for over nine days but was hopelessly deadlocked and a mistrial was declared by Judge Mark Arnold of the Torrance Superior Court. The case is currently being tried by an associate at Geragos' firm.
Also, Geragos convinced a San Mateo Superior Court Judge to grant probation in a weapons and drug case filed against Victor Willis, former front man for the Village People, the 1970s mega disco group who were made famous by their hits such as "YMCA" and "In the Navy". In addition, Geragos also currently represents Holly Ashcraft, the University of Southern California co-ed charged with murder in the death of her newborn infant. That case is currently pending in the Los Angeles Superior Court in downtown Los Angeles. Most recently, the two survivors of the tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo in December 2007 have hired Geragos in anticipation of filing a lawsuit against the zoo.
In 2008, he joined the defense of Japanese businessman Kazuyoshi Miura, but Miura committed suicide before his trial.[20]
On February 8, 2009 he brought Chris Brown to surrender to LAPD. Later Brown was arrested, and his court date was set to be on March 5, 2009. Geragos and Brown attended the court date, but did not plea and asked for arraignment until the next court date, April 6, 2009. On June 22, 2009 Brown plead guilty to one count felony assault and was sentenced to 5 years probation and 6 months community service.
[edit] Legal commentary
Geragos occasionally appears as both guest and legal commentator on the Today show, Good Morning America, 60 Minutes, On the Record, and has appeared numerous times on Larry King Live, including its twentieth anniversary show.[7]
[edit] Awards
- 1999 - Trial Lawyer of The Year by the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Bar Association. [21]
- 1999 - Jerry Giesler Memorial Award for Trial Skills, Judgement & Dedication.
- 2001 - Humanitarian of the Year by the Mexican American Grocers Association.
- 2004 - Professional of The Year by the Armenian Professional Society.
- 2005 - Consumer Attorney of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of California.
- 2006 - Attorney of the Year by the California Lawyer magazine. [22]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Legal styles collide in Redwood City
- ^ "Carradine mystery deepens, family seeks FBI help" By Ploy Chitsomboon and Bob Tourtellotte (Reuters) - http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5546WC20090607
- ^ "cebeltrity Lawyers," on MSN, see MSN story. Accessed February 20, 2009.
- ^ Famous clients not new to Geragos
- ^ Our Attorneys - Mark Geragos
- ^ $20M Settlement For Armenians
- ^ a b Attorney Mark Geragos To Serve as Master of Ceremonies at ANCA-WR 2002 Annual Banquet
- ^ Birthright Armenia - Mark Geragos
- ^ Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry - Board of Directors
- ^ St. Peter Armenian Church Youth Ministries' Center and the In His Shoes Mission
- ^ Armenia Fund
- ^ French Insurance Co. Agrees To Pay $17 Million To Genocide Heirs
- ^ King of the Tabloid Case
- ^ Susan McDougal Speaking Out — Finally
- ^ Prosecutor won't seek jail for Ryder
- ^ Judge Grills Geragos On Workload
- ^ Jackson says he 'terminated' lead attorneys
- ^ Mesereau new 'go-to guy' for celebs in trouble
- ^ Prosecutors Drop Prostitution Charge Against Bond Director
- ^ "Japanese businessman accused of conspiring to have wife murdered found dead". The Canadian Press. 2008-10-11. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hnSRL8Lx20b2_RNNBngIYdZvn8yg. Retrieved on 2008-10-11.
- ^ Eyewitness to a witch hunt
- ^ Awards & Recognitions
[edit] External links
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