Celebrity Lawyer Mark Geragos to Pay $100,000 After Legal Malpractice Trial
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Celebrity Lawyer Mark Geragos to Pay $100,000 After Legal Malpractice Trial
Mark Geragos must pay $100,000 to a youth basketball coach for his role in the 2018 Nike extortion scheme, a jury has decided. Gary Franklin had alleged that Geragos and now-disbarred attorney Michael Avenatti derailed a $1.5 million settlement. Geragos, who denied any wrongdoing, claimed that the settlement was bungled because of negligence by Franklin’s representatives. The saga ended with a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for Avenatti, with federal prosecutors identifying Geragos as an unindicted coconspirator.
Gary Franklin had alleged that Geragos and now-disbarred attorney Michael Avenatti derailed a $1.5 million settlement by leveraging confidential information from his lawsuit about alleged misconduct in youth basketball to demand a separate $10 million payout from Nike to conduct an internal investigation of the company, which later contacted law enforcement. The saga ended with a 2 1/2-year prison sentence for Avenatti, with federal prosecutors at one point identifying Geragos as an unindicted coconspirator.
In a countersuit, Geragos, who denied any wrongdoing, claimed that the settlement was bungled because of negligence by Franklin’s representatives.
In Thursday’s verdict, the jury rejected claims that Geragos intentionally failed to disclose information to Franklin or engaged in fraud. The award stems from findings that Geragos helped Avenatti to try and extort Nike, breaching his duty to Franklin.
The size of the award gave room for both sides to declare victory.
“It’s about as close as you can get to vindication,” Geragos said following the verdict, reported the Daily Journal.
In a statement, Trent Copeland, a lawyer for Franklin, said “there’s no spinning what this jury decided.” He added that Geragos “may have avoided criminal charges, but a civil jury found him liable” after “concluding that [he] owed our client and fiduciary duty and knowingly gave substantial assistance to Michael Avenatti in carrying out misconduct.”
Most recently, Geragos, whose lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment, has made headlines for leading the effort to free the Menendez brothers. He was also an unofficial member of Combs’ defense team in his sex trafficking trial, consulting with the rap mogul’s roster of lawyers, which included his daughter, Teny Geragos.