Associated Press
Dec 14 2004
Geragos Stung by Peterson Defeat
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Last winter, Mark Geragos was the king of defense
lawyers, a legal superstar who was managing to represent both Michael
Jackson and Scott Peterson.
What a difference a year makes.
Peterson’s five-month trial ended Monday with a jury recommending he
be executed for killing his pregnant wife. A case that started well
for Geragos, who brought a flash of celebrity in defense of the
former fertilizer salesman, ended with a futile plea to spare
Peterson’s life.
Though jurors said after the sentencing they respected Geragos’
courtroom craftsmanship, he couldn’t persuade them to feel for a
client who himself appeared to feel little over the loss of Laci
Peterson.
“I don’t think it gets any worse than this, losing a death penalty
case in such a public way,” said trial watcher and Loyola Law School
Professor Laurie Levenson. She said that while the death sentence is
far from a death knell for Geragos’ career, “he has fallen from on
high.”
It was the second high-profile rejection for Geragos, who earlier
this year was fired from Jackson’s child molestation case expressly
because he was so focused on defending Peterson.
Geragos told The Associated Press that he was more worried about
Peterson than himself.
“I’m not concerned about my career or reputation,” he said in a
telephone interview. “I’m concerned about my client.”
Geragos said he knew from the start that the defense of Peterson
would be unpopular and many colleagues counseled him to stay away.
But once he saw what looked like “a lynch mob” greet Peterson at the
jail in his hometown of Modesto, he agreed to take the case.
“I thought it was the right thing to do for a criminal defense
lawyer,” he said.
As a principal partner in a thriving Los Angeles law firm, Geragos
won’t lack work.
He said he would be in court Wednesday and was “bouncing between
three different cases, a murder, a fraud and an attempted murder.”
But, for a time, it won’t be the way it was — the solution for cases
requiring an elite lawyer was simple: “Get Geragos.”
He won legal battles for Whitewater figure Susan McDougal and
represented former congressman Gary Condit while police investigated
him in the disappearance of intern Chandra Levy. One victory that
touched him personally didn’t involve big names: Geragos wrangled a
$20 million settlement in January to cover unpaid life insurance
benefits to about 1.5 million Armenians killed nearly 90 years ago in
the Ottoman Empire.
Geragos, 47, had built a cachet, though he couldn’t help actress
Winona Ryder beat shoplifting charges in a trial many observers said
should have been avoided with a plea bargain.
Then came Peterson. As a cable TV analyst, even Geragos cast
suspicion on Peterson.
Geragos promised in opening statements a defense more compelling than
he could muster at trial.
At first he was dazzling, attacking the police investigation and
convincing the large press contingent he could score an acquittal.
But he couldn’t make a likable character out of Peterson, a
philanderer who appeared strangely unaffected by the death of a wife
whose photogenic smile captivated millions of Americans. And,
ultimately, Geragos’ most dramatic promises fell flat.
He claimed witnesses saw Laci Peterson being shoved into a van in the
couple’s neighborhood. Those witnesses never appeared.
He promised to show that Conner Peterson, the couple’s son to be, was
born alive — the implication being that Laci Peterson was kidnapped
and gave birth weeks after she was last seen around Christmas Eve
Day, 2002. But a crucial medical witness failed to deliver the
promised knockout.
“I’m sure he regrets all the things he said he was going to prove and
couldn’t,” said attorney Steve Cron, who has represented comedian
Paula Poundstone and other celebrity clients. He called Geragos a
“fine lawyer,” but added “he stuck his neck out and in a
high-publicity case everything you do is scrutinized.”
Still, jurors — who felt enough of a connection to call Geragos “Mr.
G.” — gave him high marks.
“I respect Mr. G. I think he’s a great lawyer,” said juror Richelle
Nice.
It was the facts of the case, she suggested, that conspired against
Geragos. The bodies washed up near where Peterson told police he had
been fishing alone and the husband who should have been grieving was
instead calling his mistress and becoming increasingly detached from
his in-laws.
Another juror, Greg Beratlis, said he would want Geragos to represent
him should he get in trouble.
Those comments should encourage Geragos, several legal experts said.
Attorney Leslie Abramson, who has lost limelight cases in her time,
including the murder case of Erik Menendez, said Geragos will remain
a celebrity lawyer.
“Once your name’s out there, it’s out there,” Abramson said, noting
that she admired Geragos’ work.
But she warned of the pitfalls of pursuing celebrity cases.
“Mark doesn’t care about money, but he did care about fame,” she
said. “Sometimes when you pursue that beast, it eats you.”