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Roy Black, a prominent Miami defense lawyer whose clients included Jeffrey Epstein and William Kennedy Smith has died at the age of 80, his law partner said Tuesday.
The Miami Herald reported that Black, a father of two, died on Monday at his home in Coral Gables.
“For more than 30 years, Roy was my teacher, mentor and friend,” said his law partner, Howard Srebnick, in an email to The Associated Press. “The loss(es) I feel personally and professionally are immeasurable.”
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Black represented, and won, a slew of high-profile clients, including Justin Bieber and race car driver Helio Castroneves.
In Miami, Black was viewed in legal circles as the GOAT, the greatest of all time, said fellow defense attorney David O. Markus, who compared his late colleague to NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.
“He worked harder than any lawyer I know. And he outlawyered every prosecutor who he ever went up against. I will miss him. His impact on criminal defense is beyond measure,” Markus said in an email to the news outlet.
Smith’s 1991 trial drew national attention and was televised after he was charged with assaulting a woman in Palm Beach after a night of drinking. He was acquitted of the charges against him.
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Smith, now a physician involved in an organization dedicated to banning land mines, is the nephew of former president John F. Kennedy, former Attorney General and U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and former Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.
In the Bieber case, the pop star was accused of driving a Lamborghini under the influence and drag racing. He later pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor careless driving and resisting arrest.
Castroneves, a winner of the Indianapolis 500, was acquitted of charges that he tried to evade more than $2 million in taxes.
Other clients Black represented included deceased conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh; Amid Khoury, who was found not guilty of bribing a Georgetown University tennis coach to get his daughter admitted to the school and Miami police officer William Lozano, who was acquitted in the shooting death of Black motorcyclist Clement Lloyd.
The acquittal later sparked riots in Miami in 1989.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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