Courting controversy: a look at some of Alan Dershowitz's public spats over the years
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TODAY'S STARTING POINT
Alan Dershowitz
The public spat and litigation threat, which Dershowitz appeared to walk back in a text message, telling the Globe he'll be 'satisfied' if the market hosting the stand requires vendors to sell to everyone, is nothing new for the
May it please the court, here's a look back at some of the various imbroglios.
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Losing Larry
Who among the Vineyard's starry roster of summer residents, a list that's long included Dershowitz, could forget
Here's how the dispute played out, according to the New York Post's Page Six:
'We can still talk, Larry,' Dershowitz reportedly said to David on the porch after trying to greet the 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' creator and getting an unenthusiastic response.
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Dershowitz and David used to be friends, Dershowitz later told Page Six.
'No. No. We really can't. I saw you. I saw you with your arm around [former Trump Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo! It's disgusting!' David reportedly responded.
Dershowitz told David that Pompeo was a former student of his at Harvard: 'I greet all of my former students that way. I can't greet my former students?'
'It's disgusting,' David repeated, according to the paper. 'Your whole enclave — it's disgusting. You're disgusting!'
Dershowitz then, according to a Page Six witness, took off his T-shirt to reveal another one underneath it. The front read: 'It's The Constitution, Stupid!'
David walked away, and Dershowitz reportedly drove off 'in an old dirty Volvo,' said Page Six.
Suing CNN
In 2020, Dershowitz
Dershowitz was among several lawyers representing Trump, who was acquitted.
'It was a coordinated smear, done deliberately and with malice aforethought,' Dershowitz said when the suit was filed.
On Jan. 29, 2020, in response to a question from Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Dershowitz discussed possible motives for a quid pro quo arrangement, such as the one Trump was accused of making with Ukraine, according to legal filings. Dershowitz said a deal made to help get a politician elected would not be grounds for impeachment if the politician believed their election to be in the public interest, as most do.
But, he also noted as he began his response to Cruz, 'The only thing that would make a quid pro quo unlawful is if the quo were somehow illegal,' meaning a president could be impeached and removed from office if they broke the law, regardless of motive, according to court documents.
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CNN repeatedly aired a clip of Dershowitz's statement that omitted the opening remark, according to the filing, and several hosts and guests on the network said 'that Professor Dershowitz believes and argued that as long as the President believes his reelection is in the public interest, that he could do anything at all — including illegal acts — and be immune from impeachment,' according to court documents.
A Florida judge tossed the suit in 2023, records show, and Dershowitz appealed. The appeal remains pending, according to legal filings.
Tension with Toobin
Speaking of CNN,
Not mincing his words, Toobin accused Dershowitz of 'carrying water' for the president, real estate
'I don't know what's going on with you,' said an exasperated Toobin, who later faced troubles of his own
In response, Dershowitz said he's always opposed special counsel investigations.
'I have been utterly and completely consistent and nonpartisan,' he said.
A knock on Netflix
In 2021, Dershowitz
convicted sex offender who hobnobbed with the rich and powerful before his 2019 death in custody while awaiting federal trial for allegedly trafficking underage girls. Epstein's death was ruled a suicide.
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The defamation suit, filed in Miami, said Netflix intentionally misled Dershowitz regarding his appearance in the series and defamed him by falsely asserting he had sex with one of Epstein's many victims.
Netflix countersued, and all claims were dismissed 'with prejudice' in March 2022, meaning neither side can refile, records show.
Going after the Garden
In 2015, Dershowitz
'The bathroom at this time — and plaintiff believes for at least 60 minutes before his entry into the restroom — had no paper towels to allow male patrons to dry their hands post washing of them,' said his civil complaint, filed in Suffolk Superior Court. 'This dangerous condition allowed water from the recently washed hands of each of the myriad bathroom users to drip or be 'shaken' onto the floor, negligently creating a hazardous situation for all users.'
Dershowitz told the Globe at the time that he didn't want to sue the Garden, but with no agreement in place and a three-year statute of limitations looming, he felt he had no choice.
The suit said he 'violently slipped, causing him to fall upward and then hard upon the tile floor and severely twisting his right knee and leg, landing on his back.'
The parties filed a joint dismissal notice in 2017, shortly after indicating in court papers that they were 'in the process of finalizing settlement and exchanging proceeds,' records show.
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Material from the Associated Press and from prior Globe stories was used in this report.
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Land 'swap':
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BESIDE THE POINT
By Teresa Hanafin
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Free summer events:
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The last one-room schoolhouse in Massachusetts is on Cuttyhunk Island. Even though it sits empty most of the year,
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