Prominent defense attorney Roy Black, whose cases included securing financier Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, died Monday at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, at the age of 80 after battling an illness, according to his law partner, Howard Srebnick.
“Roy Black was the greatest criminal lawyer of our generation, perhaps in American history, achieving acquittals over a span of 50 years in some of the most challenging and notorious cases of all time,” Srebnick, who joined Black’s law firm 30 years ago, told The Miami Herald.
Srebnick said that Black continued to work during his illness. The nature of Black’s illness was not reported.
“For more than 30 years, Roy was my teacher, mentor, and friend,” Srebnick commented. “The loss(es) I feel personally and professionally are immeasurable.”
In the 2008 case, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of procuring a person under the age of 18 for solicitation of prostitution and prostitution, avoiding more severe federal charges, reports Newsweek. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but served 13 months of that time.
Two women filed a lawsuit claiming the sentence violated federal law as they were not allowed the opportunity to object and were not adequately consulted over the deal.
Black denied in court papers that there was a conspiracy to violate their rights and said Epstein’s plea bargain “was no sweetheart deal by any stretch of the imagination.”
In 2015, Black filed motions to block the release of emails and letters that Epstein’s attorneys sent to federal prosecutors during plea negotiations. He and attorney Martin Weinberg argued that Epstein would be “irreparably harmed” if the letters were made public.
Four years later, Epstein died in a New York jail cell.
The Epstein case was just one of Black’s major legal cases, which included winning an acquittal in 1991 in the rape trial of William Kennedy Smith, a nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy. Most of the trial was broadcast live on national television.
Black became a fixture on shows like “Larry King Live” and “Today” through representing many of South Florida’s prominent criminal defendants, including William Lozano, the Miami police officer who shot and killed motorcyclist Clement Lloyd, 23, in 1989, sparking riots in the community.
Lozano was initially convicted but was retried in Orlando and acquitted.
He was also well known as a celebrity defense attorney, defending people such as late radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, actor Kelsey Grammer, pop star Justin Bieber, “Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis, and artist Peter Max, reports The Miami Herald.
He is survived by his wife, Lea, and their son and daughter, Roy Black Jr. and Nora Black.
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