The California Court of Appeal recently issued an order temporarily staying the pretrial depositions of Bill Cosby and his former attorney, Martin (“Marty”) Singer, in a defamation action filed by former supermodel Janice Dickinson.  The action arises from statements by Singer in which Singer called Dickinson’s account of being raped by Cosby in 1982 a “lie.”  https://deadline.com/2015/11/bill-cosby-marty-singer-depositions-paused-janice-dickinson-1201621842/

Dickinson never pressed charges or sued over the 1982 incident.  Dickinson claims that when she wrote an autobiography, the publisher would not permit her to include the rape story.  Finally, when a number of women went public with their charges against Cosby, Dickinson stated that Cosby drugged and raped her in a November 18, 2014 interview.  read more

My clients are usually entrepreneurs who founded a successful company and then find themselves dealing with their first lawsuit. In the initial intake meeting, clients are focused on explaining the facts of the case, asking what law would apply and evaluating likely results. These are fine and necessary subjects. However, I find it necessary to steer the conversation toward factors that cannot be found in law books, but which I have learned in nearly thirty years trying cases.

Clients conditioned to an “L.A. Law” view of the trial process – the popular 1980’s lawyer show in which new cases were discussed in one episode and tried in the next – want to drive right down to the courthouse be found right or wrong. read more