Carl E. Douglas
Carl Edwin Douglas (born May 8, 1955) is an American lawyer specializing in police misconduct cases. He is best known for being one of the defense attorneys in the O. J. Simpson murder case, collectively dubbed the "Dream Team".[1] He was the managing attorney at the Law Office of Johnnie Cochran Jr., before leaving the firm to start his own firm, The Douglas Law Group, in 1998. The latter firm is now known as Douglas / Hicks Law.[2] Douglas' other high-profile clients have included: singer Michael Jackson,[3] actors Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah, and former NFL safety Darren Sharper.
Carl E. Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 8, 1955 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University (BA) University of California, Berkeley (JD) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Education
Douglas earned his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at the University of California, Berkeley.[4]
Career
Douglas, as the managing attorney at the Law Office of Johnnie Cochran Jr., was known in many law circles as one of Cochran's top attorneys. Douglas, viewed as Cochran's lead co-counsel, was involved with Cochran cases representing rappers Tupac Shakur[5] and Sean "Puffy" Combs, as well as Diff'rent Strokes star Todd Bridges. Within a year after leaving the Cochran firm, Douglas was one of the lawyers in the biggest verdict of 1999, in the case of Patricia Anderson vs. General Motors.[6] In the verdict, General Motors was ordered to pay a record price of $4.9 billion for damages when two women and four children were trapped inside a 1979 Chevrolet Malibu, and the gas tank exploded on Christmas Eve of 1993. At the time, experts said it was the largest verdict for a personal injury case in history.
In March 2008, Douglas filed a lawsuit in excess of $10 million against the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Police Department for the shooting death of Maurice Cox, an unarmed motorist, who was driving in South LA. Most of the shooting was captured on video by Alex A. Alonso,[7] a filmmaker who posted the footage on www.streetgangs.com the same night.[8]
On February 12, 2009, it was reported that Douglas would represent Elgin Baylor in a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Clippers, various of their executives and the NBA, alleging race and age discrimination issues in the Clippers franchise.[9] This suit was unsuccessful; the racial discrimination count was voluntarily dismissed (dropped), and the jury found unanimously for defendants on the other counts.
Douglas now has an office in Beverly Hills, California.
Honorable recognition
- In 1994, and again in 1999, he was honored as the "Loren Miller Lawyer of the Year" by the John M. Langston Bar Association.
- In 2007, he was honored as the Consumer Attorneys' Association of Los Angeles "Trial Lawyer of the Year". He now has an office in Beverly Hills, California.
References
- CA State Bar Records
- CourtTV, "O.J. Simpson trial: Key attorneys", CNN, March 31, 2005, retrieved February 12, 2009.
- "Michael Jackson could face civil suit", MSNBC.com, June 2005, retrieved June 26, 2009.
- "Member Detail". CA State Bar Records.
- Alvin Anol, Robledo Quindo & Lisa Collins, " Power of Attorney: L.A.'s Top Black Lawyers", L.A. Focus, retrieved March 26, 2009.
- Henry Weinstein, Eric Malnic, and Ann W. O'Neill, "GM Ordered to Pay $4.9 Billion in Crash Verdict", LA Times, July 10, 1999, retrieved February 12, 2009.
- Richard Winton, "Widow of man shot by police files $10-million claim", Los Angeles Times, March 18, 2008.
- Alex A. Alonso, "LAPD Shoot and kill unarmed motorist in South Los Angeles", Streetgangs.com, March 3, 2008.
- Associated Press, "Baylor: Clippers didn't reward success", ESPN, February 12, 2009, retrieved February 12, 2009.