Word: mitchelson
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...enforcement authorities began investigating claims by two former clients that Mitchelson raped them. The lawyer hired well-known Los Angeles trial attorney Howard Weitzman, who currently represents Tyson in divorce proceedings with Givens, to defend him in the criminal case. The investigation was dropped in 1987 for lack of evidence. Both women, however, are suing Mitchelson in civil court. One of the women, Kristen Barrett- Whitney, claims that Mitchelson forced her to have sex with him in his office bathroom. "I've never raped anyone," says Mitchelson. Still, the old public relations pro admits the negative publicity is hurting business...
Felder and Mitchelson actually have more than a little in common. Both men are married to former actresses and flaunt ostentatious life-styles. Both are energetic courtroom performers who run primarily on instinct. Quips Bronstein: "Neither could be mistaken for the editor of the Harvard Law Review." In fact, the two men in 1981 discussed merging their practices to form a bicoastal divorce powerhouse. But nothing came of the idea: neither attorney seemed to need the business...
These days, however, Mitchelson might want to reconsider. Since he won a highly publicized divorce settlement for actor James Mason's wife Pamela in 1964, Mitchelson has built a multimillion dollar practice helping the likes of Joan Collins, Tony Curtis and Zsa Zsa Gabor get unhitched. Perhaps Mitchelson's chief claim to legal fame was the concept of palimony, which he introduced by arguing in 1970 that Michelle Triola, Lee Marvin's live-in lover, might be entitled to some of the actor's property. The California Supreme Court endorsed the palimony principle...
...lately Mitchelson's luck has gone sour. Last year the newly aggressive State Bar of California accused him of serious offenses, including charging "unconscionable" fees and failing to return unearned portions of advance payments. He will have to answer the charges at a hearing, probably next spring. Should the charges stick, he could face punishment ranging from a reprimand to disbarment. As if that were not trouble enough, London-based Sotheby's has sued Mitchelson for failing to pay for an estimated $1 million worth of jewelry, formerly belonging to the Duchess of Windsor, that he bought at an auction...
Charging $450 an hour to win huge settlements for his famous clients, Raoul Felder replaces Marvin Mitchelson as America' s No. 1 celebrity unhitcher...