We’ve previously covered the exploits of Geoffrey Fieger (Jul. 24; May 31, 2001). Fieger is nationally known for defending Dr. Kevorkian, but he’s also had over $100 million in jury verdicts thrown out because of his outrageous behavior in court. Fieger’s strategy is to inflame the jury, get a huge verdict, and then hope it stands up in response to the inevitable defense motion for new trial and appeal. Most recently, in a cerebral palsy case Fieger sought to blame on a Dr. Ronald Jordan, he delivered the following in a closing argument:

“Please, please, nurses,” Fieger said in his closing arguments, “I’m a little baby, I want to play baseball, I want to hug my mother, I want to tell her that I love her. Help me. Please help me to be born.”

Judge Lawther “called it a ‘performance far beyond the bounds of theatrical license,’ designed to appeal to the jury’s natural sympathy through passion and prejudice–two factors the law says should not enter into verdicts.” (Compare: John Edwards’s closing argument in a similar case discussed in a New York Times article we linked on Jan. 31.) A Cuyahoga County jury voted 6-2 to award $30 million to Walter Hollins in May, and the judge tossed the verdict last week. Fieger defends his closing as “his specialty.” Just so. (James F. McCarthy, “Judge rejects $30 million for malpractice”, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Aug. 27). (Updates: more on case, Oct. 11; verdict reinstated, Nov. 20).

Filed under: baseball, Cleveland, ethics, Geoffrey Fieger, John Edwards