Johnnie Cochran

Johnnie Cochran

Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. (October 2, 1937 – March 29, 2005) was a famed defense attorney best-known for his role in the legal defense for O.J. Simpson during his highly publicized murder trial.

Cochran also represented Sean "Diddy" Combs during his trial on gun and bribery charges, Michael Jackson during his 1993 child molestation allegations, as well as actor Todd Bridges, football player Jim Brown and rappers Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg during various trials. He also represented Reginald Oliver Denny, the white trucker beaten by a mob during the 1992 Los Angeles riots that followed the verdict of not guilty in the trial of police officers charged with assaulting Rodney King. Cochran was known for his skill in the courtroom and his prominence as an early advocate for police abuse victims.

Life

Johnnie Cochran was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. His father, Johnnie Cochran, Sr., was an insurance salesman, and his mother sold Avon products.

As a young child, Cochran was instilled with values of racial tolerance, academic excellence, and independence. His father described young Cochran as "a kid who really was attentive, obedient, competitive and hard working," who would not let anyone outwork him.

The Cochran family left their 1933 Milam Street home in Shreveport when Cochran was just six for the west coast in a sea of migrants headed there. Life on the west coast exposed Cochran to the affluent lifestyle of his friends and neighbors. According to his book, The American Lawyer, Cochran became inspired by their wealth encouraging him that he could, one day, be in the same shoes. "I knew kids who had things I could only dream of," explains Cochran. "I remember going to someone's house and seeing a swimming pool...it made me get off my butt and say, `Hey, I can do this!'"

In California, Cochran made school a priority in life driven by his above average grades. In High School, Cochran earned an accomplished reputation for his skills in debate, because of his love for arguing. The drive to succeed led him to graduating Los Angeles High School, which only had two dozen black students, at the top of his class, and an admission to UCLA. While at UCLA, Cochran served as the Polemarch (President) of his college fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi. After graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1959 with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Cochran earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the Jesuit Loyola Law School (part of what is now Loyola Marymount University) three years later, in 1962.

Johnnie Cochran tried to maintain a private life, but was unable to prevent news of his 1978 divorce from Barbara Berry and affair with mistress Patricia Sikora from becoming public. Berry and Cochran gave birth to two children, Tiffany and Melodie, but Cochran also had a son, Jonathan, by his mistress. Berry was not aware of Cochran's affair with Patricia Sikora, despite the fact Sikora and Cochran bought a house together in 1974. They saw each other, at that time, about two to four nights each week at the house. Sikora and Cochran began seeing each other in the 1960s. While in a relationship with Cochran, Sikora took on his last name.

In 1995, Patricia Sikora sued Johnnie Cochran for palimony, because their relationship had failed. Sikora claimed Cochran orally promised her lifetime support at the termination of their relationship in 1983. At first, Sikora's lawsuit was thrown out by the trial judge, because the statute of limitations ran out. The trial was reviewed by an appellate judge who also decided to dismiss Sikora's arguments. This time, however, the suit was dismissed because the judge did not feel Cochran and Sikora cohabited together, and therefore, could not create grounds for palimony. That decision was also reversed on the basis that Cochran and Sikora did in fact cohabitate. Years later, in 2004, Cochran and Sikora came to an agreement and reached a settlement.

At the time of the palimony lawsuit, Sikora also sued Cochran for intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging he threatened her daughter. According to Sikora, Cochran promised to send her daughter on a "ValuJet" trip around the world. ValuJet was the name of an airline that lost an airplane in a crash shortly before the alleged threat. Cochran claimed his statement was a joke toward his son, Jonathan. Nevertheless, the emotional distress suit was dismissed by both the trial judge and appellate judge, because they felt the statement did not constitute a threat, and did not amount to outrageous conduct.

Legal practice

Inspired by Thurgood Marshall, Johnnie Cochran decided to dedicate his life to practicing law to right the wrongs of society. Cochran felt his career was a calling, an opportunity to work for what he considered right, and challenging what he considered wrong. The victory won by Thurgood Marshall in Brown v. Board of Education signaled to Cochran that he could make a difference by practicing law. In A Lawyer's Life, Cochran wrote:

"I read everything I could find about Thurgood Marshall and confirmed that a single dedicated man could use the law to change society."

Despite the setbacks of being a lawyer, Cochran vowed not to cease what he was doing, saying "I made this commitment and I must fulfill it."

Cochran took a job in Los Angeles as a deputy city attorney in the criminal division, after he passed the California bar in 1963. Two years later, he entered private practice and soon opened his own firm, Cochran, Atkins & Evans. He faced his first encounter with fame in the representation of a widow who sued several police officers after they shot and killed her husband. Though Cochran lost the case for his client, Leonard Deadwyler, it became monumental in his career as a lawyer. Rather than seeing the loss as a defeat, Cochran saw what became of the trial as a way to reach the community. In reference to the loss, Cochran wrote "Those were extremely difficult cases to win in those days. But what Deadwyler confirmed for me was that this issue of police abuse really galvanized the minority community. It taught me that these cases could really get attention" in The American Lawyer. By the late 1970s, he had made his name in the black community, and was litigating a number of high-profile police brutality and criminal cases.

In 1978, Cochran joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office to become the first African-American Assistant District Attorney of Los Angeles County. Joining the government was Cochran's way of becoming "one of the good guys, one of the very top rung." It was a way to strengthen his ties with the political community, and a step toward changing his image. It was also a way to change the system he was so troubled by from within, even at the cost of a pay cut. Five years later, Cochran returned to private practice, reinventing himself as "the best in the West" by opening self-titled Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. law firm. In contrast to his losses with cases such as the Deadwyler case, Cochran won $760, 000 for Ron Settles, a black college football player whose family accused the police of murdering. He left Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. in 1990 to join Cochran, Mitchell & Lotkin.

In most of his cases, Johnnie Cochran, who opposed tort reform, represented plaintiffs in tort actions. He founded The Cochran Firm, a law firm that expanded through internal growth and a series of mergers and regional partnerships. The firm, with offices in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C, specializes in personal injury cases. As a lawyer, his presence alone in a case often led adverse parties to reconsider a settlement.A call to Johnnie Cochran at times, according to Jesse Jackson, made "corporations and violators shake."

Johnnie Cochran's style in court has been described as theatrical with use of "well honed rhetoric," and flamboyant.

His practice as a lawyer earned him wealth he had not witnessed as a child. It is believed he took in more than $40 million from trying cases. As a result, he drove cars such as a Jaguar and a Rolls-Royce, and wore a large array of expensive suits. He owned homes in Los Angeles, two apartments in West Hollywood, and a condo in Manhattan. In 2001, Cochran's accountant expected Cochran to have been worth between $25-50 million within five years (Cochran died within five years). When Cochran was still alive, he made at least a million a year. He was, however, well known for his philanthropy.

Clients

Even before O.J. Simpson approached Johnnie Cochran regarding his murder trial, Cochran was considered the "go-to" lawyer for both the rich and famous, as well as the poor. It was the Simpson trial, nevertheless, that introduced him to people as one to admire, dislike, and/or find absurd.

Cochran often liked to say that he worked "not only for the OJs, but also the No Js". In other words, he enjoyed defending or suing in the name of those who did not have much in terms of fame or lacked in copious wealth. The most glorious moment as a lawyer, in Cochran's opinion, was when he won the freedom of Elmer, "Geronimo," Pratt. Cochran considered the release "the happiest day" of his legal practice. When Cochran died in 2005, family and friends proclaimed they "were most proud of the work he did on behalf of those in the community" rather than those with wealth and might. In the words of Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree, Cochran "was willing to fight for the underdog." Reverend Jesse Jackson believed Cochran was the "people's lawyer." Magic Johnson proclaimed Cochran was known "...for representing O.J. [Simpson] and Michael [Jackson], but he was bigger and better than that." What is probably most flattering in Cochran's opinion must be how he was described as the Thurgood Marshall of his era.

For more on the 1993 Michael Jackson child molestation case, see the child molestation allegations article.

In 1993, Cochran represented Michael Jackson to defend him from allegations of child molestation. No criminal charges were filed by the police, but a civil suit filed against Jackson by the father of the child making the allegations was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.

For more on the O.J. Simpson trial, see the O.J. Simpson murder case article.

During closing arguments in the Simpson trial, Cochran uttered the now famous enthymeme, "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit." He used the phrase as a way to show that O.J. Simpson could not have possibly murdered his former wife, because the murderer's gloves did not fit him. According to a number of legal analyzers, the phrase was pivotal to the trial. Since Cochran used "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit," it has been widely quoted.

Despite the Simpson victory, Johnnie Cochran was criticized for bringing up the issue of race. Cochran told the mainly Black Simpson jury that police officers were trying to frame O.J. Simpson because of his race. Robert Shapiro, co-counsel on the Simpson defense team, accused Cochran of dealing the "race card" "from the bottom of the deck." In response, Cochran replied it was "not a case about race, it is a case about reasonable doubt..." noting "there are a lot of white people who are willing to accept this verdict."

Cochran's representation of a man many believed to be guilty became a cause for hatred towards Cochran.

At Cochran's funeral, O.J. Simpson expressed his belief that, without Cochran, he would not have been home.

For more on Abner Louima, see the Abner Louima article.

Cochran successfully represented Abner Louima, a Haitian immigrant who was sodomized with a broomstick while in police custody. Louima was later awarded a $8.75 million settlement, the largest police brutality settlement in New York City. Tension broke out amongst Louima's former lawyers, and the new team that was headed by Cochran. The former team felt that Cochran and his colleagues were trying to take control of the entire trial.

For more on Sean Combs and his trial, see the Sean Combs article.

In 2000, Sean "Diddy" Combs was indicted on stolen weapons charges as well as bribery. Soon thereafter, Combs hired Cochran. Cochran effectively fought for Combs' freedom with Combs winning an acquittal. At Johnnie Cochran's funeral, Combs said Cochran saved his life.

In 2002, Cochran promised Combs was his last criminal case. Since that trial, he retired from criminal cases due to their tiresome nature. Though the trial lasted only five to seven weeks, it became too much for Cochran. After the trial, Cochran declined criminal cases offered by R. Kelly and Allen Iverson.

Popular culture

Saturday Night Live (including TV Funhouse) and South Park (see Chewbacca Defense) showcased notable parodies of Johnnie Cochran, as did many similar programs.

In a skit of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, Norm MacDonald claims that a new California law states that the hiring of Johnny Cochran by defendants was the equivalant of them pleading guilty.

Cochran was also mentioned in several films and television shows, including:

• Lethal Weapon 4, in which Chris Rock's character, Detective Butters, advised a suspect that he had the right to an attorney, but "If you get Johnnie Cochran, I’ll kill you!".

• 1997's Jackie Brown, where a character boasted that his lawyer was so good, "he's my own personal Johnnie Cochran."

• In the song Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous by Good Charlotte he is mentioned in the lyrics "well did you know when your're famous you could kill your wife and there's no such thing as 25 to life as long as you got the cash to pay for Cochran"

• He was also mentioned by Tommy Davidson in the film Woo when a white police officer placed his hand on Davidson's shoulder as he was leaving the police station and Davidson imposed "Hey man - Johnnie Cochran" after which the white police officer removed his hand, after which Davidson concluded with "That's right!"

• In the TV show Mind of Mencia, the ghost of Johnnie Cochran is seen assisting "Judge Carlos" pass judgement on various "cases".

• His most notable parody is however Jackie Chiles (played by Phil Morris), the fictional attorney on the television show Seinfeld.

Cochran himself took these parodies in stride, discussing them in his autobiography, A Lawyer’s Life. Furthermore, he appeared in The Hughleys, Family Matters, The Howard Stern Show, Arli$$, CHiPs '99, Bamboozled, and JAG. In two episodes of Mind of Mencia, Cochran helps "Judge Carlos Mencia" deliver fake verdicts on real cases.

After the Simpson trial, Cochran himself was a frequent commentator on law-related television shows. In addition to being featured on television shows, he hosted his own show, Johnnie Cochran Tonight, on CourtTV. With the Simpson fame also came movie deals.

Death

Johnnie Cochran died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 29, 2005 of an inoperable brain tumor, called Glioblastoma multiforme . The news came after a year of failing health. He was diagnosed with the tumor in December 2003. In April 2004, Cochran underwent surgery, which led to him staying away from the media. Shortly thereafter, he told the New York Post he was feeling well, and that his health was in a good shape.

A memorial service was held at Little Union Baptist Church on April 8, 2005 in Shreveport. On April 4, public viewing of his casket was conducted 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Angelus Funeral Home, and a second viewing was held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 5 at Second Street Baptist Church. He was interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. The funeral was attended by numerous former clients and friends. Among them were popstar Michael Jackson, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Reverend Al Sharpton, Sean "Diddy" Combs, O.J. Simpson, Stevie Wonder, Magic Johnson, actress Angela Bassett, Gloria Allred, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Abner Louima, and others.

On May 31, 2005, about two months after Cochran's death, the United States Supreme Court delivered its verdict on Tory v. Cochran. It found that Cochran's death no longer required a restriction on Ulysses Tory's defamatory speech regarding Cochran. Lower courts, before Cochran died, held that Tory could not make any public comments about Johnnie Cochran in any way imaginable.

In honor of Cochran, on January 24, 2006, Los Angeles Unified School District officials unanimously approved the renaming of Mount Vernon Middle School, Cochran's boyhood middle school, to Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Middle School, saying he was an "extraordinary, superb lawyer with movie-star celebrity status." There have been mixed reactions about board of education's decision, primarily because of Cochran's work as a lawyer. For instance, the sister of Nicole Brown Simpson has expressed her disappointment with the decision, although she called Cochran "a great defense attorney." Since the school was renamed, others have voiced their ideas of naming a street after Cochran. City Councilman Herb J. Wesson Jr. wants the city to rename a section of 17th Street, because he feels Cochran was "a great attorney and a great role model who contributed to this community."