Milberg Weiss scandal: plaintiff-for-pay sentenced

Elderly (80) and ailing, retired entertainment lawyer Seymour Lazar drew an unusually light sentence of six months home detention after having “pled guilty to taking secret payments from Milberg Weiss for helping to bring dozens of securities lawsuits by serving as a plaintiff or arranging for his relatives to do so. Three former Milberg partners, […]

Elderly (80) and ailing, retired entertainment lawyer Seymour Lazar drew an unusually light sentence of six months home detention after having “pled guilty to taking secret payments from Milberg Weiss for helping to bring dozens of securities lawsuits by serving as a plaintiff or arranging for his relatives to do so. Three former Milberg partners, William Lerach, David Bershad, and Steven Schulman, have also pled guilty in the scheme,” while the law firm itself and founder Mel Weiss continue to fight the charges and are expected to face trial later this year. “According to a statement from the prosecution, [federal judge John] Walter said he would have sentenced Lazar to a substantial prison term if he were younger and healthier.” (Josh Gerstein, New York Sun, Jan. 29).

3 Comments

  • I would enjoy seeing him sued by the class of parties he damaged by unlawful conduct.

  • [federal judge John] Walter said he would have sentenced Lazar to a substantial prison term if he were younger and healthier.

    Is this not reverse age discrimination?

  • The report regarding the sentencing of Seymour Lazar
    does not tell the entire story, and seriously
    mischaracterizes the circumstances and this fine man.
    I have known Mr. Lazar for over twenty years, and know
    him to be one of the kindest, most brilliant,
    honorable and generous persons I’ve ever met.
    Earlier in life, as an attorney, Mr. Lazar defended
    and gained acquittal for Lenny Bruce in his obsenity
    trial, and as a partner of the legendary Melvin Belli,
    he committed himself to many charitable and
    philanthropic endeavors, including support for causes
    as diverse as helping the boat people during the
    Vietnam War to supporting a group of Buddhist children artisans, which resulted in his meeting and being
    blessed by the Dali Lama. Furthermore, what all these
    sentencing articles do not reveal is that Mr. Lazar’s
    involvement in class action lawsuits were for the
    benefit of all of us. Truly an iconic and eccentric
    personage, Mr. Lazar has known and befriended by
    Cannonball Adderley, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg,
    Lenny Bruce, Duke Ellington, the Grateful Dead, and
    Maya Angelou. (Are you starting to get an idea, that
    there is MUCH more to this dear man, than the above
    article reveals? ) As an example of some of the class
    action suits he masterminded was “Lazar vs. Hertz”,
    wherein Hertz ceased from charging unfair amounts of
    money for fuel, when a customer returned the car with
    less than a full tank. Another recent example of the
    good things he accomplished was the class action
    lawsuit against Denny’s, which eliminated the policy
    of making people of color wait hours to get a table.
    These are just a few examples of causes, Mr. Lazar
    felt were “doing good things”. In the Palm Springs
    area, where he lives, he has donated hundreds of acres
    of land for desert conservancy. From my perspective,
    he engaged in these class action suits NOT for
    personal gain as is alleged, but to use his legal
    talents for his fellow man. I have been saddened to
    see what tactics our government has employed in their
    quest to bring an end to class action lawsuits, and he
    has suffered greatly for being uncooperative and
    refusing to be a pawn in an overall strategy to bring
    down Milberg Weiss. I don’t know whether our
    government’s quest to crush Milberg Weiss is a good
    one or not, the legal issues involved are far too
    complex for me to grasp. I only know this, the world
    is alot place because and for the things that Mr.
    Lazar has done in his life.