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Mark Geragos | |
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| Born | Mark John Geragos October 5, 1957 |
| Alma mater | Haverford College Loyola Marymount University |
| Occupation | Criminal defense lawyer |
| Website | Geragos & Geragos |
Mark John Geragos [1] (born October 5, 1957) is an American criminal defense lawyer and the managing partner of Geragos & Geragos, in Los Angeles.
Geragos was born in Los Angeles, California, where he attended Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada, graduating with honors. He earned his bachelor's degree from Haverford College, in 1979, double-majoring in anthropology and sociology, then his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Loyola Law School at the Loyola Marymount University in 1982. [2] He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1983. [3] [4]
An Armenian-American, Geragos maintains a close relationship with the Armenian community. [5] He has earned praise from the Armenian National Committee of America, [6] and serves on the Advisory Committee of Birthright Armenia, [7] as the chairman of Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, [8] and also is involved with the Armenian religious community. [9] He has been a member of the Armenia Fund International Board of Trustees since 2006. [10]
Geragos is the managing partner for the law firm of Geragos & Geragos, [11] where he oversees criminal defense and civil litigation. He was one of the lead lawyers in two groundbreaking federal class action lawsuits against New York Life Insurance and AXA, for insurance policies issued in the early 20th century during the time of the Armenian genocide of more than 1.5 million Armenians. The two cases settled for over $37.5 million, in 2004 and 2005. [12]
In December 2022, Geragos partnered with law colleague and MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas to form Engine Vision Media and acquire Los Angeles magazine from Hour Media. [13]
The firm's office is located on Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles in a former Los Angeles Fire Department fire station, Engine Company No. 28, alongside Kabateck LLP. The 1912 building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles and is jointly owned by Geragos and his investment partner, attorney Brian S. Kabateck, since 2007, among other joint acquisitions; the partners have litigated together and also, in recent years, against one another over their mutual investments. [14]
Geragos first garnered national attention after representing convicted Whitewater figure Susan McDougal, the former business partner of former President Bill Clinton. [15] Geragos requested a presidential pardon for McDougal on January 20, 2001, though the decision was entirely up to former President Clinton, pursuant to Article II of the United States' Constitution. [16] Geragos also represented McDougal in a 12-count embezzlement trial in Los Angeles in which the jury returned a not-guilty verdict. [17]
He has since represented many notable clients, including Gary Condit; [18] suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield; [19] Scott Peterson; [19] Scott Barney; [3] Roger Clinton Jr.; [20] Lee Tamahori; [21] Kesha, briefly, in her lawsuit against Dr. Luke, until May 2016; [22] and Clare Bronfman. [23] Other notable clients include:
Geragos was alleged to have participated in a scheme with attorney Michael Avenatti to extort Nike, but was not charged. At the sentencing hearing, lawyers for Avenatti questioned why Geragos had not been charged. The judge's rationale for reducing Avenatti's sentence was that Geragos was “a central figure in the criminal conduct,” but "suffered no consequences as a result", and "was not even charged.” [53] [54] In November 2019, according to a new indictment filed in Manhattan federal court, conspiracy charges against Michael Avenatti were dropped. The new indictment filed also appears to clear Mark Geragos.[ citation needed ]
Geragos occasionally appears as both guest and legal commentator on TV. He has appeared on the Today show, Good Morning America , 60 Minutes , Anderson Cooper 360° , On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren , and has appeared a number of times on Larry King Live , including its 20th-anniversary show. [6] [55] Geragos was employed by CNN in a contributor role until March 25, 2019, when he was reportedly implicated in an alleged scheme with attorney Michael Avenatti to extort more than $20 million from Nike, Inc. [56]
In addition to his former role as contributor on CNN, Mark Geragos and Sunny Hostin hosted a 2014 legal program entitled Making the Case. [57]
Geragos has made multiple appearances on the Adam Carolla Show since 2013, usually giving commentary on whatever is the top legal issue in pop culture. He guest-hosted for Carolla in April 2014 while Carolla was shooting his independent feature film Road Hard . [58] Geragos filled in for Dr. Drew Pinsky and co-hosted with Carolla in March 2015 on The Adam and Dr. Drew Show, [59] another podcast that airs on Carolla's Carolla Digital Network.
In June 2015, it was announced that Geragos would co-host a podcast with Carolla that would be a part of Carolla Digital. [60] The show is called Reasonable Doubt and features Carolla and Geragos discussing issues in society including the law, from Geragos's viewpoint as a civil and criminal defense attorney. The show debuted on July 25, 2015, and new episodes debut every Saturday.
Geragos was an executive producer for the 2016 ABC network television series Notorious, which was inspired by the working relationship between Geragos and Larry King Live producer Wendy Walker. [61] The show was cancelled after one season. [62]
Mistrial: An Inside Look at How the Criminal Justice System Works, co-authored by Geragos and Pat Harris, was published by Penguin in 2013. [63]
In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons that the filing party or parties believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party or parties against whom the claim is brought that entitles the plaintiff(s) to a remedy. For example, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) that govern civil litigation in United States courts provide that a civil action is commenced with the filing or service of a pleading called a complaint. Civil court rules in states that have incorporated the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure use the same term for the same pleading.
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