Lawyer Johnnie Cochran dies at 67

Rob Damen · March-29th-2005, 07:15 PM

Superstar Lawyer Johnnie Cochran Dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., who became a legal superstar after helping clear O.J. Simpson during a sensational murder trial in which he uttered the famous quote "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," died Tuesday. He was 67.

Cochran died of a brain tumor at his home in Los Angeles, his family said.

"Certainly, Johnnie's career will be noted as one marked by 'celebrity' cases and clientele," his family said in a statement. "But he and his family were most proud of the work he did on behalf of those in the community."

With his colorful suits and ties, his gift for courtroom oratory and a knack for coining memorable phrases, Cochran was a vivid addition to the pantheon of best-known American barristers.

The "if it doesn't fit" phrase would be quoted and parodied for years afterward. It derived from a dramatic moment during which Simpson tried on a pair of bloodstained "murder gloves" to show jurors they did not fit. Some legal experts called it the turning point in the trial.

Soon after, jurors found the Hall of Fame football star not guilty of the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

For Cochran, Simpson's acquittal was the crowning achievement in a career notable for victories, often in cases with racial themes. He was a black man known for championing the causes of black defendants. Some of them, like Simpson, were famous, but more often than not they were unknowns.

"The clients I've cared about the most are the No Js, the ones who nobody knows," said Cochran, who proudly displayed copies in his office of the multimillion-dollar checks he won for ordinary citizens who said they were abused by police.

"People in New York and Los Angeles, especially mothers in the African-American community, are more afraid of the police injuring or killing their children than they are of muggers on the corner," he once said.

By the time Simpson called, the byword in the black community for defendants facing serious charges was: "Get Johnnie."

Over the years, Cochran represented football great Jim Brown on rape and assault charges, actor Todd Bridges on attempted murder charges, rapper Tupac Shakur on a weapons charge and rapper Snoop Dogg on a murder charge.

He also represented former Black Panther Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, who spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. When Cochran helped Pratt win his freedom in 1997 he called the moment "the happiest day of my life practicing law."

He won a $760,000 award in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Ron Settles, a black college football star who died in police custody in 1981. Cochran challenged police claims that Settles hanged himself in jail after a speeding arrest. The player's body was exhumed, an autopsy performed and it revealed Settles had been choked.

His clients also included Haitian immigrant Abner Louima, who was tortured by New York police, and Tyisha Miller, a 19-year-old black woman shot to death by Riverside police who said she reached for a gun on her lap when they broke her car window in an effort to disarm her.

But the attention he received from all of those cases didn't come remotely close to the fame the Simpson case brought him.

After Simpson's acquittal, Cochran appeared on countless TV talk shows, was awarded his own Court TV show, traveled the world over giving speeches, and was endlessly parodied in films and on such TV shows as "Seinfeld" and "South Park."

In "Lethal Weapon 3," comedian Chris Rock plays a policeman who advises a criminal suspect he has a right to an attorney, then warns him: "If you get Johnnie Cochran, I'll kill you."

The flamboyant Cochran enjoyed that parody so much he even quoted it in his autobiography, "A Lawyer's Life."

"It was fun. At times it was a lot of fun," he said of the lampooning he received. "And I knew that accepting it good-naturedly, even participating in it, helped soothe some of the angry feelings from the Simpson case."

Indeed, the verdict had done more than just divide the country along racial lines, with most blacks believing Simpson was innocent and most whites certain he was guilty. It also left many of those certain of Simpson's guilt furious at Cochran, the leader of a so-called "Dream Team" of expensive celebrity lawyers that included F. Lee Bailey, Robert Shapiro, Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld.

But in legal circles, the verdict represented the pinnacle of success for a respected attorney who had toiled in the Los Angeles legal profession for three decades.

Cochran was born Oct. 2, 1937 in Shreveport, La., the great-grandson of slaves, grandson of a sharecropper and son of an insurance salesman. He came to Los Angeles with his family in 1949, and in the 1950s, he became one of two dozen black students integrated into Los Angeles High School.

Even as a child, he had loved to argue, and in high school he excelled in debate.

He came to idolize Thurgood Marshall, the attorney who persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to outlaw school segregation in the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision and who would eventually become the Supreme Court's first black justice.

"I didn't know too much about what a lawyer did, or how he worked, but I knew that if one man could cause this great stir, then the law must be a wondrous thing," Cochran said in his book. "I read everything I could find about Thurgood Marshall and confirmed that a single dedicated man could use the law to change society."

After graduating from UCLA, Cochran earned a law degree from Loyola University. He spent two years in the Los Angeles city attorney's office before establishing his own practice.

He briefly became a special assistant to the Los Angeles County district attorney in the 1970s, setting up a unit to prosecute domestic violence cases.

After returning to private practice, Cochran built his firm into a personal injury giant with more than 100 lawyers and offices around the country.

Flamboyant in public, he kept his private life shrouded in secrecy, and when some of those secrets became public following a 1978 divorce, they were startling.

His first marriage, to his college sweetheart, Barbara Berry, produced two daughters, Melodie and Tiffany. During their divorce, it came to light that for 10 years Cochran had secretly maintained a "second family," which included a son.

When that relationship soured, his mistress, Patricia Sikora, sued him for palimony and the case was settled privately in 2004.

Although he frequently took police departments on in court, Cochran denied being anti-police and supported the decision of his only son, Jonathan, to join the California Highway Patrol.

He counted among his closest friends Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks, the city's former police chief, and the late Mayor Tom Bradley, who had been a Los Angeles police lieutenant before going into politics.

But in the Simpson case, Cochran turned the murder trial into an indictment of the Police Department, suggesting officers planted evidence in an effort to frame the former football star because he was a black celebrity.

By the time Simpson was acquitted, Cochran and co-counsel Shapiro were on the outs. Shapiro, who is white, had accused Cochran of playing the race card and of dealing it "from the bottom of the deck."

Simpson, meanwhile, was held liable for the killings following a 1997 civil trial and ordered to pay the Brown and Goldman families $33.5 million in restitution. Cochran didn't represent him in that case.

After Simpson, Cochran stepped out of the criminal trial arena, concentrating instead on civil matters. For a time, he represented high-profile athletes and music stars in contract matters.

He remained a beloved figure in the black community, admired as a lawyer who was relentless in his pursuit of justice and as a philanthropist who helped fund a UCLA scholarship, a low-income housing complex and a New Jersey legal academy, among other charitable endeavors.

RainyDay · March-29th-2005, 07:24 PM

I always thought OJ did it but Cochrane gave him the best defense money can buy. RIP.

Monte Smith · March-29th-2005, 07:28 PM

Wow. I'm shocked by the death of someone who seemed both vibrant and an enduring piece of the American landscape. However, I have to communicate that shock in a manner true to Johnnie, who got OJ off, and so that can't be respectful:

If your brain is tumored,
your death ain't rumored.

Uli · March-29th-2005, 07:32 PM

RIP Mr. Cochran

Sergio Zamora · March-29th-2005, 08:02 PM

RIP. I will remember him more for Pratt than for OJ.

Jesse · March-29th-2005, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sergio Zamora

RIP. I will remember him more for Pratt than for OJ.

I don't know how you manage that, Sergio, must have a better media filter than me (& I literally took in 1% of that trial, via popular media).
The Pratt case was an important one & consequently lost in the detritus of hype.

Mike Schwartz · March-29th-2005, 08:16 PM

I'm sorry to hear that...was wondering recently why I hadn't seen him on Larry King and the likes with the latest Michael Jackson case and other high profile cases he would have been on the circuit for.

He came off to me as someone who had a great sense of humor, worked very hard for his clients & causes, and was quite the celebrity type himself, self assured, dapper, and very classy.

I'll never forget how goofy he looked with that knit cap on in the OJ trial;-)

jesus marion joseph · March-29th-2005, 09:04 PM

Wow, I didn't even know he was sick. The Johnnie COchran episode of South Park is one of my favorite. Anytime I hear someone say "it doesn't make sense" I almost bust out laughing.

graypencil · March-29th-2005, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Wow. I'm shocked by the death of someone who seemed both vibrant and an enduring piece of the American landscape. However, I have to communicate that shock in a manner true to Johnnie, who got OJ off, and so that can't be respectful:

If your brain is tumored,
your death ain't rumored.

We should all remember this feeble bit of tasteless wit upon your part when you pass on ..

..and we can all proceed to take a big dump in your casket during your funeral.

moneyp · March-29th-2005, 09:48 PM

Oh, take it easy. Monte's remark was a tribute.

My mom actually did some work for Mr. Cochran's firm and had nothing but nice things to say about him. A fun-loving and vibrant guy in the workplace, very generous to all of his employees.

moneyp · March-29th-2005, 09:58 PM

Speaking of which, can anyone forward me a link of the particulars of the Pratt case and how he came to be found innocent? All I can find is David Horowitz, who is decidedly anti-Panther (not without good reason) and a number of opinion articles saying Pratt was framed by the police and FBI (but providing no evidence).

Anyone?

Jesse · March-29th-2005, 10:03 PM

Mone:
I don't know if you regard Amnesty Int'l as an outfit working on generally reliable data. If so, access their web site, maybe a link to archives, as they worked extensively in behalf of Pratt.

RainyDay · March-29th-2005, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mone peterson

Speaking of which, can anyone forward me a link of the particulars of the Pratt case and how he came to be found innocent? All I can find is David Horowitz, who is decidedly anti-Panther (not without good reason) and a number of opinion articles saying Pratt was framed by the police and FBI (but providing no evidence).

Anyone?

The basic idea was that Geronimo Pratt was prosecuted for murder in the middle of a power struggle within the Black Panther Party. Party members in Oakland could have provided him with an alibi because he was in Oakland, not LA, when the murders occurred. The BPP was happy to see him go to prison. When Pratt got out of prison, there was a rally for him in Oakland. David Hilliard was all up in his face and had the audacity to say that they (in the party) couldn't have helped him with an alibi anyway because no one would have believed them. It's another reason I think Hilliard is a louse. Pratt was a real class act when he got of prison. Twenty five years in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

moneyp · March-29th-2005, 10:20 PM

I'll do that, Jesse.

I just finished this article by Horowitz on the verdict. He dismisses the claim that Julius Butler was an informant, and therefore that the original verdict shouldn't have been overturned. Acknowledging Horowitz's bias against the Panthers, his position does make some sense.

I'm curious if JMJ is at all familiar with the case and can give us a lawyer's perspective on it.

March-29th-2005, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Wow. I'm shocked by the death of someone who seemed both vibrant and an enduring piece of the American landscape. However, I have to communicate that shock in a manner true to Johnnie, who got OJ off, and so that can't be respectful:

If your brain is tumored,
your death ain't rumored.

Quote:

Originally Posted by graypencil

We should all remember this feeble bit of tasteless wit upon your part when you pass on ..

..and we can all proceed to take a big dump in your casket during your funeral.

I laughed my ass off when I read Satan's post.

Can I be the first to take a dump on his casket anyways?

March-29th-2005, 11:37 PM

And on top of that, I had no idea he was that old.

Damn, I hope I still look that suave at 67!!

Geez..........

I wished I looked that suave NOW!!!

patricia · March-30th-2005, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sergio Zamora

RIP. I will remember him more for Pratt than for OJ.

Although I certainly agree that Johnnie Cochran won some sensational, as well as more not so well-known cases, he did lose the case in which he represented "Hurricane" Carter, who spent years and years in jail. Carter was innocent of the charge of murder, for which he was convicted.
This case was documented in the film, "Hurricane", and starred Denzel Washington. Carter was finally freed, after a group of Canadian law students took up his case and obtained his release.

However, there are few lawyers who are as flamboyant as Cochran was.
RIP Johnnie Cochran

March-30th-2005, 12:38 AM

Quote:

This case was documented in the film, "Hurricane", and starred Denzel Washington.

And that was a GREAT flick!!!!

Ron Thorne · March-30th-2005, 12:54 AM

To state the obvious, Johnnie Cochran was not my favorite person, but I'm not glad that he's gone from the landscape.

R.I.P. Johnnie Cochran~

patricia · March-30th-2005, 01:12 AM

Not my favourite person either, Ron, considering that his flamboyance and manipulative style resulted in a double murderer being acquitted, but his skill cannot be denied.

Uli · March-30th-2005, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

To state the obvious, Johnnie Cochran was not my favorite person, but I'm not glad that he's gone from the landscape.

What obvious, Ron?

Ron Thorne · March-30th-2005, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uli

What obvious, Ron?

• He was a major reason that OJ "got off".

• I always felt that he was a skilled "jive ass" who was way too full of himself.

How's that for starters?

Uli · March-30th-2005, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

How's that for starters?

Not bad. At least it's now more obvious to me what seems to be obvious to you.

Ron Thorne · March-30th-2005, 01:47 AM

Thanks, Uli.

frankiepop · March-30th-2005, 02:10 AM

cochran's made the rounds around central pa recently. a friend of mine has an uncle, last name crawford, who was imprisoned for murder at age 16 or so. clear evidence shows the state manufactured false evidence to convict him. the state had to admit to this fact so the only argument left is money, how much for 20 years of false imprisonment. 10 million - 50 million.

Quote:

I just finished this article by Horowitz on the verdict. He dismisses the claim that Julius Butler was an informant, and therefore that the original verdict shouldn't have been overturned. Acknowledging Horowitz's bias against the Panthers, his position does make some sense.

horowitz suggests that the judges and justice system are easily persuaded by Cochran 's charismatic personality. the decisions of course could not possibly be due to cochran's hard work, skill, force of facts and knowledge of the law.

horowitz's conclusion reads pretty much specious to me. i dont know, if if find this to be pretty much popular culture bs in the guise of some type of weak journalistic legal analysis:

Quote:

Why hasn't justice prevailed in this matter? Why is a clearly guilty individual free? The answer lies in the climate of the times, in which the testimony of officers of the law have become more readily impeachable than the testimony of criminals. As in the O.J. Simpson trial, the appeals process in the Pratt case has been turned by Johnnie Cochran into a class action libel against the FBI, the police, the prosecution and its chief witness. And as in the Simpson case, Johnnie Cochran's fictional melodrama has won out over the politically incorrect truth.

(emboden type added for emphasis)

is cochran being pc by taking the pratt or the simpson case? i think someone should define pc to horowitz.

i would like to see what horowitz has written concerning dershowitz' legacy and dershowitz' and other attorneys involvement in the simpson case? does horowitz contend dershowitz' charasmatic pc personality is the reason he wins? rather than the harvard law professor's intelligence, knowledge, force of argument, and hard work?

would horowitz have more respect for these men if they would have lost or thown the cases as zealous advocates of clients like von bulow, simpson, or pratt?

i don't find horowitz is merely biased here or making much sense...i read horowitz as pretty much the pc racist barking up a storm.

moneyp · March-30th-2005, 09:34 AM

Frankiepop, I wasn't talking about Horowitz's conclusions regarding Cochran, I was referring to the specifics regarding Julius Butler. The way Horowitz presents it (I make no conclusions to it's accuracy) I would concur that it's hard to say that Butler was a "police informant," as Cochran stated. I don't know what information wasn't given to the defense attorneys, though.

Gentle Giant · March-30th-2005, 10:00 AM

I liked the character on Seinfeld that was based on him. He was so over the top that it's hard to spoof him without it being a blatant imitation.

The defense rests...in peace.

steve(thelil) · March-30th-2005, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Wow. I'm shocked by the death of someone who seemed both vibrant and an enduring piece of the American landscape. However, I have to communicate that shock in a manner true to Johnnie, who got OJ off, and so that can't be respectful:

If your brain is tumored,
your death ain't rumored.

I thought it was extremely funny. Not that it matters, but I think Johnny would laugh at this.

clinthopson · March-30th-2005, 11:17 AM

I've had a few trial lawyers as friends and clients over the years.

When I asked them about their feelings they all expressed admiration for how well he did in the courtroom. That he got OJ off demonstrates how good he could be at his profession.

And lest us forget that Cochran was a very active civil rights lawyer and did a lot of pro bono work.

Valerie · March-30th-2005, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clinthopson

And lest us forget that Cochran was a very active civil rights lawyer and did a lot of pro bono work.

yes, that is an under-statement, clint! johnnie took many cases throughout the years that no one else would take for people with no money who were victimized by the police, the government, the system in general. he was certainly loved by many in the los angeles community for good reason. he funded low-income housing and gave much to many charities. he was a champion for the underdog throughout his long career. he may have had an enlarged ego but he always put his actions and his money where his mouth was. he was generous and loyal to a fault. that's part of my two cents worth.

you deserve to rest in peace, johnnie.