Thomas Mesereau
Thomas Arthur Mesereau Jr. is an American attorney known for defending Michael Jackson in his 2005 child molestation trial,[1][2] as well as Mike Tyson, Bill Cosby and, in 2023, Danny Masterson, a case in which Mesereau was sanctioned by the judge.[3]
Thomas Mesereau
Legal cases[edit]
Mike Tyson[edit]
Mesereau represented former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in a rape investigation conducted by the San Bernardino County, California District Attorney's Office in 2001. Charges were dropped.[4]
Robert Blake (actor)[edit]
Mesereau was the second lawyer during pre-trial proceedings in actor Robert Blake's case[5] over the murder of his wife Bonnie Lee Bakley. Blake's first attorney Harland Braun resigned over Blake's decision to appear in a televised interview with Diane Sawyer against Braun's advice and counsel. For unprofessional conduct during the deposition, Mesereau was fined $18,950. After losing his appeal of the fine, he paid a total of $22,000.[6] After Blake had spent ten months in isolation in Los Angeles County Jail, Mesereau obtained bail for him.[7] Mesereau cross-examined prosecution witnesses in a three-week, televised preliminary hearing. The hearing revealed flaws in the prosecution's case.[8] Mesereau resigned from the case, declining to explain why.[9]
Pro bono work and awards[edit]
Although known for his celebrity cases, Mesereau is also an advocate for pro bono volunteer legal services.[25][26][27][28][29] He has established a legal clinic in Los Angeles and accepts one capital murder case each year on behalf of a defendant in the Deep South who cannot afford representation.[12][30]
In 2005, Barbara Walters named him one of the year's "Ten Most Fascinating People".[31] GQ Magazine named him one of its "Men of the Year" in their December 2005 issue.[32]
He has been named "Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year" by the Criminal Courts Bar Association,[33] Los Angeles and the Century City Bar Association, Los Angeles [34] and has been listed as one of the "One Hundred Most Influential Attorneys in California" by the Los Angeles Daily Journal.[35] Mesereau has also received the "Humanitarian Award" from the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice.[36] Mesereau received a "Community Service Award" from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.[37]
Personal life and education[edit]
Mesereau was educated at Phillips Academy, Harvard University (cum laude), the London School of Economics and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.[38]