Former Michael Jackson attorneys reach $2.5 million settlement in jet videotaping case
March 19, 2012
LOS ANGELES - Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos and his law partner have settled a lawsuit for $2.5 million against the owner of a defunct charter jet company that secretly recorded the men and Michael Jackson as they flew from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara for the pop star to turn himself in on child molestation charges.
The amount awarded to Geragos and partner Pat Harris will be difficult to collect because defendant Jeffrey Borer is insolvent, his attorney Lloyd Hirschbaum said. The agreement was reached Friday, the last court day before a re-trial in the case was scheduled to begin to determine how much Geragos and Harris were owed.
Borer attempted to sell the video, which contains no audio, of the flight to media outlets after Jackson's surrender. Geragos, Harris and their attorney Brian Kabateck have argued that the lawyers had an expectation of privacy on the private jet that flew them and Jackson from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara in November 2003. The video, which has never been released, also violated the attorney-client privilege, the said.
Insurance company ordered to pay homeowner $8 million
March 18, 2012
An elderly Hollywood Hills resident whose home was nearly destroyed when a dump truck crashed into it, rupturing a gas line and causing an explosion, was awarded more than $8 million after jurors found that his insurance company of more than 50 years failed to honor its contract.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court jury last week found that Residence Mutual Insurance Co. not only acted with malice and fraud in failing to fulfill its $220,000 policy with Robert Christopher, who was 86 at the time of the 2008 accident, but noted that its conduct was directed at a senior citizen, who is considered under California law more vulnerable than other members of the population.
"The insurance company did everything possible to try and torpedo this World War II veteran's case," said attorney Mark Geragos. "You wouldn't treat your worst enemy the way this insurance company treated this policyholder of more than 50 years. This should be a message to insurance companies that you never put your interests before the interests of the insured."
MORENO VALLEY: Hung jury in second molestation trial
February 6, 2012
A jury deadlocked for the second time in the trial of a former Moreno Valley man who was charged with 21 counts of molesting a female relative.
The jury said Thursday that they were hung, 7-5, in favor of not guilty for charges against Victor Ung, 51, a Department of Defense contracted computer technician in Harvest, Ala.
Prosecutors have not said whether they will seek to retry the case a third time.
"We will be looking at the state of the evidence and the likelihood of proving it to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt," Riverside County district attorney spokesman John Hall said.
Ung initially was charged with 98 counts of sexually abusing a girl starting when she was 3 years old. He could have faced 29 consecutive life sentences on those charges.
The girl said Ung molested her more than 750 times from 1994 until 2003. Ung had moved to Alabama when he was charged in 2008, and was extradited to face trial.
A judge threw out many of the counts midway through the case, finding insufficient evidence.
A jury deadlocked in the first trial, 9-3, in favor of guilt.
Ung was represented by high-profile defense attorney, Mark Geragos, who previously represented Michael Jackson in his molestation trial.
4 Years, 5 Months Later, the Bennett Family Can Smile
January 13, 2012
Twenty-four hours after the family's civil suit trial against the California National Guard suddenly ended at the start of Day Six, Gerald Bennett, the best known of the litigants, was bursting with smiles.
Looking brighter than he ever did during the days of grim testimony, Mr. Bennett said that "I feel excellent, excellent."
Did you get what you wanted in the settlement?
"Yes," later adding a selection of salty observations.
Four years and five months after their sister was beaten to death with a baseball bat at the Culver City National Guard Armory, Mr. Bennett and his sisters Suzette and Deborah walked out of a downtown Los Angeles feeling reasonably compensated for their horrid loss.
At the start of the session, the Bennetts' lawyer, Mark Geragos, informed Judge Kevin C. Brazile that agreement had been reached with Dep. Atty. Gen. David Adida.
Terms, as always, are a tightly guarded secret.
Armory Death Trial: Sgt. Says He Tried to Warn Authorities Harris Was in Danger
January 7, 2012
A member of the California Army National Guard testified Friday that he grew frustrated with both his commanders and Culver City police when he tried to warn them about the bizarre behavior of a colleague who said he wanted to cause a recruit to lose her baby and ended up killing her.
Taking the stand in a wrongful death suit filed against the state by the family of murdered National Guard member Joann Crystal Harris, Sgt. Erik Hein said that instead of being praised for his efforts to have Sgt. Scott Ansman's actions investigated before Ansman killed Harris, he has felt a backlash within the National Guard.
Ansman beat 29-year-old Harris to death with a baseball bat on Aug. 24, 2007 on the gymnasium floor of the Culver City armory. Ansman - a married father of three - mistakenly believed Harris was pregnant with his baby.
"I've lost faith in the command and the system from that point on and I just felt my career took a nosedive after that,'' Hein testified in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Attorney Mark Geragos - representing three siblings of Harris - said Ansman easily lured Harris to the armory because Guard members never told her that Ansman had been outspoken about wanting to get rid of her baby.
9th Circuit to reconsider Armenian genocide case en banc
November 10, 2011
A federal appeals court has ordered an en banc rehearing of a challenge to a California statute that has spawned lawsuits against insurance firms on behalf of victims of the Armenian genocide.
The case, against two German insurers and their parent company, Munchener Ruckverischerungs Gesellschaft A.G., or Munich Re, will be reheard in oral arguments during the week of Dec. 12 in San Francisco, according to a Nov. 7 order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
Earlier, a three-judge panel had upheld the statute, reversing its own initial decision dismissing the case.
"We're delighted that the court has agreed to rehear the decision," said Neil Soltman, a partner in the Los Angeles office of Mayer Brown who represents Munich Re. "We think reversal of the initial decision was obviously incorrect and we're glad to have the opportunity to present it to the full en banc court."
New Evidence Leads to Mistrial in Hearst Ranch Fatal Accident Case
November 3, 2011
A mistrial was declared this week in the case against a Newport Beach man accused of crashing a vehicle and killing a passenger at the Hearst Ranch airstrip in 2009, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Judge Michael Duffy declared the mistrial Monday after jury selection had begun in the case against 41-year-old Kurt Naegele.
Defense attorneys Mark Geragos and Eugene Harris announced their intention to call an expert witness to testify that, according to his opinion, Naegele wasn't the actual driver of the Range Rover that rolled over Sept. 18, 2009, at the Hearst Ranch airstrip.
CNN Given Kudos for Not Showing Michael Jackson Autopsy Photo, Until it Does
October 12, 2011
On AC360 Tuesday night, with John King sitting in, Michael Jackson friend and former attorney Mark Geragos commended the network for not showing the autopsy photo of Jackson, which was introduced at trial Tuesday.
"Kudos to your network, unlike some other networks, for not showing the autopsy photo," said Geragos. "It's inexplicable to me why that's being played by other networks."
"We're not going to show it," said King. "We have some standards here."
But during the 3pmET hour today on CNN, Brooke Baldwin introduced a segment on the case by showing the photo.
Sarkis G. Soghanalian, arms dealer dubbed 'merchant of death,' dies at 82
October 10, 2011
Sarkis G. Soghanalian, 82, an international arms dealer known as "the merchant of death" who sold French howitzers to Saddam Hussein and a U.S. cargo plane to Moammar Gaddafi, and who also provided his unique services to the CIA and FBI, died Oct. 5 at a hospital in Hialeah, Fla.
He reportedly suffered from heart disease; his death was confirmed by his former lawyer, Mark Geragos.
Mr. Soghanalian had a gargantuan presence in the multibillion-dollar arms market, both because of his heft - he weighed 300 pounds - and because of his seemingly limitless abilities.
Geragos & Geragos Attorney Shelley Kaufman to Speak at NBI Seminar on September 27, 2011
September 12, 2011
Pasadena, CA- Shelley Kaufman, an attorney at Geragos & Geragos, will be speaking at the National Business Institute's live seminar, "Anatomy and Physiology 101 for Attorneys" on September 27, 2011.
This course is designed for attorneys (personal injury, insurance, workers' compensation, disability) and other legal professionals who would like a better understanding of their cases' medical aspects. Others who may benefit include: insurance claims managers, workers' compensation managers and human resource managers.
Mark Geragos Speaks at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting in Toronto
August 6, 2011
Attorney Mark Geragos spoke about the "'Implicit Bias' and the Myth of Equal Justice" during the 2011 American Bar Association Annual Meeting in Toronto. With more than 1,400 legal programs, events and presentations by the foremost law experts, the ABA Annual Meeting is the nation's premier gathering of legal professionals.
Everyone has a right to a fair trial, and it is the job of lawyers, judges and court personnel to make sure it happens. As a result, they constantly raise questions about the admissibility of forensic evidence, implicit bias victim's rights, fraud and the suitability of expert witness to provide testimony. The latest in these areas were among the topics covered during the 2011 American Bar Association Annual Meeting, August 4 - 9, in Toronto.
Through examining recent cases including the arrest of prominent Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who was arrested while he pushed his way through the jammed front door of his home; and the unprecedented immigration workplace raid in Postville, Iowa; various panels will outline and discuss various issues in criminal justice.
Crime Boss Let Off Easy
July 9, 2011
A former crime boss in Azerbaijan faces just a few years in prison after a plea deal yesterday in connection with the largest Medicare fraud in U.S. history, according to his attorney.
The alleged godfather, Armen Kazarian, 47, faces 30 to 37 months in prison after a plea deal yesterday, according to attorney Mark Geragos.
Most of the 43 other members of the Armenian-American crime network indicted in the $100 million scam head to trial next June, said a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
"Obviously, we're happy to resolve this without a trial, and it's a long way away from what the government originally alleged," Geragos said.
War Crimes Prosecutor to Address Armenian Cause 2.0
June 6, 2011
WASHINGTON-Nicholas Koumjian, a leader in international genocide and war crimes prosecutions, will speak at Armenian Cause 2.0, the Armenian National Committee of America's conference, being held in Washington from June 24-27, on the future of Armenian American advocacy.
Nicholas Koumjian (Pennsylvania State University, B.A.; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, J.D., and; University of Southern California, MBA), an internationally known and widely respected lawyer specializing in international criminal law, has more than a decade of hands-on experience helping to prosecute war crimes and genocide around the world.
He has recently entered into private practice associated with the law firm of Geragos and Geragos in Los Angeles, intending to specialize in cases concerning international criminal law and human rights.
Mistrial declared in alleged bribery trial
June 1, 2011
SAN BERNARDINO - A Superior Court judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case against two Los Angeles-area businessmen accused of bribing a county supervisor's former chief of staff.
After more than three days of deliberating, jurors in the case against Arshak and Vartan Kouladjian could not reach unanimous verdicts on any of the three felony counts charged to each defendant. Judge Michael Smith declared a mistrial after probing the jury to determine if anything else could be done to help break the splits.
"I'm satisfied at this point in time that any further deliberation would not likely result in a unanimous decision, one way or the other," Smith said.
Jurors voted 6-6 and 9-3, in favor of guilty, in the two bribery counts, the jury foreman told the court. The jury voted 7-5, in favor of guilty, on one count of attempted bribery. Prosecutors can retry the case. The Kouladjians are scheduled to return to court Aug. 19 for a pretrial conference.
Defense attorney Mark Geragos, who represented Vartan Kouladjian, said he was pleased with the results.
"It's clear to me, given the splits, I think that this case should never be retried," said Geragos, adding that he was hopeful the District Attorney's Office would dismiss the charges.
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California gas station owners sue BP subsidiary
May 5, 2011
LOS ANGELES - About 100 gas station franchise owners sued BP PLC's California subsidiary Wednesday along with two other companies over an electronic payment system that they say cheated them and their customers, sometimes charging as much as $1,000 for a tank of gas.
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, attorneys Mark Geragos and Brian Kabatek contend that BP forced retailers to buy a defective software system which malfunctioned and often crashed, causing them to shut down their stations and lose customers.
Risking Jail Time, Trainer Again Vows He Won't Testify Against Bonds
March 1, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO - Greg Anderson, the personal trainer who has long stuck by his childhood friend Barry Bonds, indicated to a federal judge yet again Tuesday that he would not testify in Bonds's perjury trial.
Anderson, who prosecutors say gave Bonds steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, nodded when Judge Susan Illston of United States District Court asked him if he planned to refuse to testify in the trial, which begins March 21. "He's nodding yes," Anderson's lawyer, Mark Geragos, said as Anderson stood silent next to him. "He's taking the not testifying to the nth degree."
Unity speaker: MLK's message still needed
January 17, 2011
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Lawyer Mark Geragos, the first speaker who was "not of color" to deliver the keynote address for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast, assured a crowd of more than 1,200 Monday that King's message is for everyone. Geragos, a prominent civil and criminal law lawyer based in Los Angeles whose work has exonerated several unjustly convicted people, said there is reason for all people to celebrate the work of King and other Civil Rights pioneers.
New trial ordered in Fresno Bee carrier shooting
November 27, 2010
A new trial has been ordered for a Fresno man serving a life prison sentence after a jury convicted him of shooting a woman delivering newspapers. It was the second time the 5th District Court of Appeal in Fresno has reversed a Fresno judge's ruling that denied a new trial for Tannen Soojian. In 2007, a jury found Soojian guilty of kidnap, robbery and the attempted murder of Joyce Ahumada. She and her teenage son were delivering The Bee when she was shot in the chest on Shaw Avenue east of Clovis in April 2004.
Armenian American cab drivers sue to stop Santa Monica regulation
December 22, 2010
A judge Wednesday issued a temporary restraining order barring Santa Monica from instituting a new taxi franchising system that a group of Armenian American cab drivers say discriminates against them.
Zoo Settles With Brothers in Tiger Attack
June 02, 2009
The San Francisco Zoo agreed Thursday to pay $900,000 to two brothers who survived the fatal attack by an escaped tiger on Christmas Day 2007, sources familiar with the case told The Chronicle.
The agreement with Kulbir, 25, and Amritpal "Paul" Dhaliwal, 20, resolves claims the brothers brought in U.S. District Court against the city, zoo and Sam Singer, a crisis public relations consultant the zoo hired after the attack, one source said.
Anniversary of Shooting Marked by Family
January 09, 2009
A memorial service was held Wednesday commemorating the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting of a man by La Habra police officers who said he was wielding a tire iron. Michael Sungman Cho, 25, was shot on the afternoon of Dec. 31, 2007, outside a liquor store near Whittier Boulevard and Walnut Avenue.
In June, the District Attorney's Office cleared officers Pete DiPasqua and John Jaime, saying their actions were legal. Jaime was shot and wounded during a 2005 traffic stop and recovered. The following month, Cho's parents filed a civil suit against the city and officers claiming wrongful death and negligence. The civil trial is set for January 2010.
FROM THE MARGINS: Are we doomed to repeat mistakes?
April 07, 2009
A lot has been said about the false incarceration of Edmond Ovasapyan by the Glendale Police Department. The 28-year-old spent eight months in prison for the crime he did not commit and was later released as the Glendale police officers found evidence of his innocence.
There seem to be two approaches on how to view this experience.
Glendale man falsely accused of murder awarded $1.3 million
February 24, 2009
Edmond Ovasapyan, 28, who spent eight months in jail before being cleared of charges, sued the Glendale Police Department A federal jury Wednesday awarded $1.3 million in civil damages to a Glendale man who was falsely accused of murder and spent eight months in a Los Angeles County jail before being cleared of the charges.
Attorneys for Edmond Ovasapyan, 28, sued the Glendale Police Department in U.S. District Court for false imprisonment and malicious prosecution, saying that the detectives who arrested him in connection with a 2005 home-invasion slaying ignored exculpatory evidence, including his alibi.
Jury Orders Pfizer to pay $38 million
February 03, 2009
A California jury has ordered drugmaker Pfizer to pay $38 million to a leading Bay Area medical research nonprofit for stealing trade secrets to develop a pain relief drug.
A Santa Clara County Superior Court jury reached the verdict Monday in a 2004 lawsuit filed against Pfizer by the San Bruno, Calif.-based nonprofit Ischemia Research and Education Foundation.
Calif Family Sues Cigna Over Refused Transplant
January 30, 2009
The family of a 17-year-old leukemia patient has sued health insurance giant Cigna Corp. for her death in 2007 after the company initially refused to pay for a liver transplant.
The lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court by the family's attorney, Mark Geragos, alleges breach of contract, unfair business practices and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit accuses Cigna of delaying and rejecting valid claims, which resulted in the wrongful death of Nataline Sarkisyan.
Feds Raid Home Of Greg Anderson's Mother-in-Law
January 28, 2009
FBI and IRS agents raided the home of Greg Anderson's mother-in-law Wednesday in what Anderson's attorney said was a tactic to ratchet up the pressure on his client to testify for the government in the upcoming Barry Bonds perjury trial.
Mark Geragos, Anderson's attorney, said 20 IRS and FBI agents raided the Redwood City, Calif., home of Madeleine Gestas, the mother of Greg Anderson's wife.
Wrongful Death Settled For $5 Million Dollars
January 14, 2009
FACTS: The case arises out of the death of Andrea Lorena Meza, wife and mother, who was struck by a Walnut Valley Unified School District bus on Oct. 26, 2007 while walking to the Cyrus J. Morris Elementary School to pick up her eight-year old daughter.
