Aug. 20, 2006, 2:03PM http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4129200.html Ramseys' attorney defends the scorned By HARRY R. WEBER Associated Press Writer ATLANTA — The woman who accused Kobe Bryant of rape. Olympic security guard Richard Jewell. John and Patsy Ramsey. Their common thread? Lin Wood, the attorney who specializes in defending people who say they were scorned by the media. The Ramseys' attorney is in the spotlight again after John Mark Karr was arrested in Thailand last week and said he was with 6-year-old JonBenet when she was killed the day after Christmas 1996 in the basement of the family's Boulder home. "Clearly, the last 10 years of my practice have not been dull and they have often involved media frenzies not unlike the last few days," said Wood, who is a partner in the firm Powell Goldstein, whose 14th floor lobby has lately been cluttered with reporters. Attorneys that Wood has worked with and against describe him as flamboyant, intimidating and determined. One said Wood is good at getting publicity for clients. "Lin Wood has come a long way in adding maturity to the intimidation approach," said Thomas Kelley, a Denver attorney who represented a media company Wood once sued for libel over a Ramsey story. "In the past, I thought there was a lot more flash than fact. Now, I think there's a lot more substance than there used to be." Like the Ramseys and their son, who were cast for years by authorities under a cloud of suspicion in JonBenet's death, Jewell's life turned upside down when the media called him a suspect in the deadly bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The bomber turned out to be anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph. Wood said the frenzy surrounding the case was "an emotional experience," but he said he feels pride for helping restore Jewell's reputation. The former security guard was recently honored by Georgia's governor for helping move people out of harm's way after the explosion. As he did in the Ramsey case, Wood sued media companies that published or broadcast stories about Jewell that he believed were libelous, once saying, "We're going to sue everyone from A to Z." "If you want publicity, he's your guy," said Peter Canfield, the attorney who represents The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a pending lawsuit over stories about Jewell. Wood said he's successful because he's always "on the right side of the case." "I had a lot of people who questioned my decision to represent John and Patsy Ramsey and their son Burke _ friends and family," Wood told the Associated Press. "But, I recognized in those people the same type of qualities as Richard Jewell. They were good people. They weren't capable of harming anyone, much less murdering their beautiful daughter." Many of the lawsuits he has been involved in have ended with settlements, including the case of Los Angeles Lakers star Bryant. Wood and another attorney sued Bryant for alleged mental injuries, humiliation and public scorn that a woman says she suffered after a sexual encounter with Bryant at a hotel near Vail, Colo., in June 2003. A criminal charge against Bryant was dropped. "He's obviously a very competent, very determined advocate for his clients," said George Weaver, an Atlanta attorney who represented state agencies Wood sued in a pending case involving a meat byproducts plant. Weaver didn't elaborate on his opinion, and several attorneys who Wood has opposed in court refused to talk about him. A former law partner said he isn't surprised by that reaction. "I am confident that his opponents will find him oftentimes difficult to deal with because he is not a game player," Wayne Grant said. "He's direct and expects witnesses and lawyers to be truthful. And when they evade, when they dodge, when they posture, he handles it without any degree of tolerance." The 53-year-old Wood received his undergraduate and law school degrees from Mercer University in Macon, Ga., where he spent his childhood until he moved to Atlanta in 1979. He spent much of his career as a trial lawyer focusing on civil litigation. A married father of four, Wood said he has gotten only a few hours of sleep the last few nights because of the attention surrounding the Ramsey case. He doesn't seem to mind. "I've been fortunate to deal with what some people would consider fascinating cases," Wood said.
If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go puke. :sick: Right side of the case my butt. The right side of the money trail. :rs: :rage: :bsflag:
It can get more ridiculous Another prediction: August 20, 2006, 5:08 pm EST, as I sit here in Brooklyn, New York If and when the smoke clears and WHEN Karr is cleared in the JonBenet Ramsey case, what would be sweeter than Wood suing on Karr's behalf for all the libel and slander he is sure to receive AFTER he is cleared? Wood is greedy and egotistical enough to want him and Karr is just crazy and shrewd enough to hire him for the publicity and the loads of money Wood is famous for getting. Don't be surprised! :wood:
EXCUSE ME ... the Ramseys and their son are STILL under a cloud of suspicion in JonBenet's death. I BET they did. Their mamas told them not use those kind of words in public. Besides, there's not enough disgusting adjectives in the English language to describe the greedy, egotistical, immoral piece of crap known as Lin Wood.
OH, this is choice! I think he MEANT to say, Wood handles it by learning from it and USING POSTURE, DODGING, AND EVASION when his OWN clients don't want to be direct and truthful! [See Ramsey Atlanta interviews with LE.]
"EXCUSE ME ... the Ramseys and their son are STILL under a cloud of suspicion in JonBenet's death." And don't forget it.
