By: craig yamasaki

craig yamasaki — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:50:01 +0000

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.

By: JB

JB — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:11:58 +0000

[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?

By: Supremacy Claus

Supremacy Claus — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:26:53 +0000

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

Comments on: Milberg Weiss scandal: plaintiff-for-pay sentenced

By: craig yamasaki

By: JB

By: Supremacy Claus