The Associated Press' Jenna Freyer reporting Jeremy Mayfield has hired high profile attorney Mark Geragos, most famous for defending Scott Peterson.
He's had a few more famous than Scott Peterson.
Translation: This is about to get a lot whackier.
Notable clients
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.[15] McDougal was pardoned by President Clinton on January 20, 2001, as Clinton was about to leave office.[16]
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.[17]
Michael Jackson and 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.[18]
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.[19] 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.
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.
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.[20] In early 2006, Geragos won the dismissal of a prostitution charge against film director Lee Tamahori.[21]
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.[22]
On February 8, 2009 he brought Chris Brown to surrender to the 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 pled guilty to one count felony assault and was sentenced to 5 years probation and 6 months community service.
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.[9]
