Barry Slotnick Explained

Barry I. Slotnick
Birth Date:1939
Birth Place:Bronx, New York, U.S.
Occupation:Attorney
Spouse:Donna Slotnick
Children:4, including Stuart Slotnick

Barry I. Slotnick (born 1939) is a New York City-based defense attorney. Slotnick is well-known for defending infamous Mafia crime boss, John Gotti[1] and New York City subway shooter, Bernhard Goetz.[2] Along with his son Stuart, he negotiated former First Lady, Melania Trump's pre-nuptial agreement with Donald Trump. In 2021, he was the subject of a NY Times best seller, The Defense Lawyer, written by author, James Patterson, chronicling Slotnick's life.[3] [4]

Early life

Slotnick was born in The Bronx in 1939 to Orthodox Jewish Russian immigrants.[5] He graduated with a B.A. from City College of the City University of New York, a J.D. from New York University Law School, and was admitted to the bar at age 21.[6] After graduating from law school, Slotnick established his own practice in Manhattan.[7] Slotnick specialized in criminal defense, and found clients by sitting in the front row of a court, waiting until the judges would say “Slotnick, the next client is yours.”[7] From there, he started his own "boutique law firm" that eventually became Slotnick, Shapiro & Crocker.

Bernhard Goetz trial

In 1985, Slotnick defended Bernhard Goetz, who shot four young black men on a New York City subway.[8] Goetz was charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and several firearms offenses. Goetz maintained that he acted in self defense. The trial received national attention. A Manhattan jury found Goetz not guilty of all charges, except an illegal firearms possession count, for which he served two-thirds of a one-year sentence.[9] [10]

The jury decision was based primarily on bullet wounds and shooting witnesses.[11] [12] The New York Times attributed the victory to Slotnick’s “clever courtroom tactics,” stating that he “turned out to be a shrewder, more accomplished performer than the prosecutor, Gregory Waples.”[13] In particular Slotnick’s aggressive questioning of James Ramseur, one of the four shot by Goetz, caused Ramseur to react explosively, which resulted in Ramseur’s entire testimony being stricken from the record including negative statements Ramseur made about Goetz.[14] [15] This outburst, along with Ramseur's rape conviction and admission of staging his kidnapping by Goetz's agents, greatly influenced the jury.[16] [11]

When later talking about the case, Slotnick said "I've had greater victories and I've had much more difficult cases to try, but for the public perception, for the public need, Goetz was important. Goetz was my public service case.”[17]

Career

Originally an appellate attorney, Slotnick eventually began doing high-profile criminal cases that garnered national media attention. In his early 30s, Slotnick defended Mafia boss Joe Colombo in front of the United States Supreme Court and won.[5] Ultimately, the New York Court of Appeals declared New York's contempt statute unconstitutional.[7] He would later be a lead counsel in the first John Gotti trial, which resulted in an acquittal for Gotti and his associates.[18] [19]

Slotnick has also represented former Democratic Congressman Mario Biaggi, as well as Vyacheslav Kirillovich Ivankov, who was accused by the United States Department of Justice of being a major boss of the Russian mafia.[20] [21] [22] He then represented casino magnate Steve Wynn, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, and Rabbi Meir Kahane.[5] [23] [24] [25] He also handled the divorce proceedings on behalf of actor Anthony Quinn and of June Gumbel—wife of television personality Bryant Gumbel.[26] Slotnick also represented Tim Richmond during his attempted comeback in 1988, when NASCAR suspended Richmond for testing positive for banned substances.[27]

In 2004, Slotnick worked with his son Stuart to defend retired Army Captain Jay Ferriola pro-bono. Ferriola had been ordered to redeploy to Iraq after completing eight years of service, and then sued the Army on the grounds that they violated his due process rights.[28] [29] The Department of Defense later allowed Ferriola to retire from the Army. The case was the first to challenge the Army's stop-loss policy, which had affected tens of thousands of soldiers since the start of the Iraq War.[30] Slotnick then successfully tried four similar cases.[31]

With his son, Stuart, Slotnick also obtained a settlement for publicly traded company Sportingbet with the U.S. Government's Department of Justice for $30 million and a non-prosecution agreement.[32] This amount was a quarter of what competing site PartyGaming paid in a similar lawsuit.[33] Pursuant to the non prosecution agreement, Sportingbet will not be indicted for their criminal acts in the United States.[32]

During 2005, he merged Slotnick Shapiro & Crocker with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, with which he is currently a partner and shareholder.[34]

Slotnick has been a member of the New York Governor's Judicial Selection Committee, Chairman of the New York State Bar Association's Committee on Capital Crimes, and a former Special Deputy Attorney General.

Personal life

Slotnick is married to Donna Slotnick and has four children, one of whom is attorney Stuart Slotnick, best known for defending the company American Apparel.[35]

He once had a 12-year winning streak, and has said that his favorite client was Winnie the Pooh, whom he represents adverse to Disneyland.[23] He received the American Lawyer's AMMY Award as the best defense lawyer in America, was named to the New York Super Lawyer List during 2006, 2007, and 2009, and was included in the American Trial Lawyers Association Top 100 Trial Lawyers of 2009.[36]

In Popular Culture

Slotnick and his defense of Bernhard Goetz in the 1984 New York City Subway shooting was mentioned in the song Rising to the Top by rappers Sean Price and Agallah.

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/25/nyregion/gotti-trial-opening-statements-today.html?searchResultPosition=4 Gotti Opening Statements Today
  2. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/15/nyregion/goetz-hires-new-lawyers-may-testify-to-grand-jury.html?searchResultPosition=6 GOETZ HIRES NEW LAWYERS; MAY TESTIFY TO GRAND JURY
  3. https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2022/01/09/combined-print-and-e-book-nonfiction/ NY Times Best Sellers
  4. https://dujour.com/life/the-defense-lawyer-barry-slotnick/ The Winning Hand Of Attorney Barry Slotnick
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=xegCAAAAMBAJ&dq=joseph+colombo+slotnick&pg=PA30 Slotnick’s Law
  6. Mustain, Gene; Capeci, Jerry (2002) Mob Star: The Story of John Gotti. Penguin Books.
  7. Ruhling, Nancy A. Barry Slotnick Courtly Lifestyles Magazine. Spring 2006.
  8. Fletcher, George A crime of self-defense: Bernhard Goetz and the law on trial Chicago, The University of Chicago Press: 1988.
  9. News: Goetz Is Cleared in Subway Attack; Gun Count Upheld; Acquittal Won in Shooting of 4 Youths - Prison Term Possible on Weapon Charge. Johnson. Kirk. June 17, 1987 . . 2009-06-02 .
  10. Book: Fletcher, George P. . A Crime of Self-Defense: Bernhard Goetz and the Law on Trial . 1990-06-15 . University of Chicago Press . 978-0-226-25334-3 . en.
  11. Book: Lesly . Mark . Subway Gunman: A Juror's Account of the Bernhard Goetz Trial . Shuttleworth . Charles . 1988 . British American Pub. . 978-0-945167-08-2 . en.
  12. News: Kurtz . Howard . 1988-11-03 . WHAT A TRIAL! . en-US . Washington Post . 2023-05-04 . 0190-8286.
  13. Anderson, David C. Why Goetz Got Off New York Times. August 14, 1988
  14. https://web.archive.org/web/20121105044628/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1324957.html Youth’s Testimony Stricken in Goetz Trial
  15. Evans, Colin Trials and the Courts New York, Infobase Publishing: 2010.
  16. News: A Man Goetz Shot Is Charged With Faking Own Abduction . The New York Times . March 27, 1985 . Raab . Selwyn.
  17. ”Slotnick: The Great Defender” Herald. September 2, 1987.
  18. Gross, Ken Subway Shooter Bernhard Goetz Is the Latest Defendant to Hire the Hottest Legal Gun in Town - Barry Slotnick People Magazine. May 4, 1987.
  19. Raab, Selwyn Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful New York, St. Martin's Press: 2005.
  20. News: 9-Year Jail Term for Russian Named by U.S. as a Mobster. Fried. Joseph. January 30, 1997. The New York Times. 2009-06-02 .
  21. Nicaso, Antonio and Lee Lamothe Angels, Mobsters and Narco-Terrorists: The Rising Menace of Global Criminal
  22. Friedman, Robert I. Red Mafiya: how the Russian mob has invaded America New York, Warner Books, Inc.: 2000.
  23. Cooper, Victoria Who’s Here: Barry Slotnick Dan’s Paper. May 30, 2008.
  24. http://www.malman.com/Myles-H-Malman-in-the-News/U-S-Attorney-In-Miami-Steps-Aside-In-Noriega-Case-3-Prosecutors-Named.shtml U.S. Attorney In Miami Steps Aside In Noriega Case; 3 Prosecutors Named
  25. Kempe, Frederick Divorcing the dictator: America's bungled affair with Noriega London, G.T. Putnam's Sons: 1990.
  26. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,617258,00.html Bryant’s Bitter Split
  27. nascarman History . February 10, 2020 . The Daytona 500 That Changed Everything: Speedweeks 1988 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/ktNiJuHrmos . 2021-12-19 . live. May 24, 2020.
  28. http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2004-11/2004-11-05-voa84.cfm?moddate=2004-11-05 Former Army Captain Wins Case to Avoid Tour of Duty in Iraq
  29. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6511124 'Deborah Norville Tonight' for Nov. 16
  30. http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=who_you_gonna_call Who You Gonna Call?
  31. http://www.davnj.org/News/ArmyUsingPolicytoDenyReserveOfficerResignations.pdf Army Using Policy to Deny Reserve Officer Resignations
  32. http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/jenny-woo-speaks-sportingbet-settlement-legal-counsel-stuart-slotnick-092410.html Jenny Woo Speaks Sportingbet Settlement with Legal Counsel Stuart Slotnick
  33. http://www.gambling911.com/gambling-news/sportingbet-settles-nearly-one-quarter-partygaming-forfeiture-deal-092010.html Sportingbet Settles For Nearly One Quarter of PartyGaming Forfeiture Deal
  34. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/high-profile-litigator-barry-slotnick-joins-buchanan-ingersoll-firm-adds-boutique-of-white-collar--complex-commercial-litigators-54005897.html High Profile Litigator Barry Slotnick Joins Buchanan Ingersoll: Firm Adds Boutique of White-Collar & Complex Commercial Litigators
  35. News: American Apparel Settles Lawsuit With Woody Allen. Itzkoff. Dave. May 18, 2009. The New York Times. 2009-06-02 .
  36. http://www.bipc.com/professionals.php?PeopleID=472 Profile: Barry Slotnick