What Is Mark Geragos' Net Worth?
Mark Geragos is an Armenian-American criminal defense attorney and producer who has a net worth of $25 million. Mark Geragos is a partner at the Los Angeles-based law firm Geragos & Geragos, and he has had several high-profile celebrity clients during his career. Mark represented Bill Clinton's ex-business partner Susan McDougal, earning her a presidential pardon in the early 2000s. Oscar-nominated actress Winona Ryder hired Geragos when she was accused of shoplifting thousands in merchandise in Beverly Hills; Ryder was sentenced to counseling and probation. Mark also worked for Michael Jackson when the pop star was accused of molestation, and he represented alleged murderer Scott Peterson. Jackson eventually fired Geragos, while Peterson was convicted of murder and sent to death row. Geragos has appeared on numerous TV shows as a legal commentator, including "60 Minutes," "Anderson Cooper 360," and "Larry King Live," and he co-hosted CNN's "Making the Case" with Sunny Hostin in 2014. Mark executive produced the documentary "Motherland," which won awards at several film festivals in 2022. He also executive produced the 2016 ABC crime drama "Notorious." The series was based on the real-life stories of Geragos and "Larry King Live" producer Wendy Walker, and Daniel Sunjata's character, Jake Gregorian, was inspired by Mark.
Early Life
Mark Geragos was born Mark John Geragos on October 5, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. Mark is the son of Betty Jane and Paul John Geragos, and he has a brother named Matthew. Geragos graduated with honors from La Cañada's Flintridge Preparatory School, then he double-majored in sociology and anthropology at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. In 1982, Mark earned a Juris Doctor from Loyola Marymount University's Loyola Law School, and the following year he was admitted to the State Bar of California.
Career
Geragos oversees criminal defense as well as civil litigation at Geragos & Geragos, and he gained national attention when he represented Susan McDougal, who was involved in the Whitewater scandal, and got her a presidential pardon in 2001. Mark represented Bill Clinton's half-brother, Roger Clinton Jr., winning a dismissal of alcohol-related charges, and he helped David Carradine's family after the actor died in his Bangkok hotel room. In 2006, Geragos represented Greg Anderson, the trainer of baseball player Barry Bonds, after Anderson refused to testify regarding perjury accusations against Bonds. Around this time, Mark was the attorney for accused murderer Cameron Brown, who had been charged with murder after allegedly throwing his young daughter off a cliff. That trial ended in a mistrial, and Brown was eventually convicted 15 years after the murder with a different attorney representing him. In 2007, Geragos was hired by Amphit and Kulbir Dhaliwal, who survived a tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo, and he settled their civil suit against the zoo for $900,000. In 2009, Mark represented singer Chris Brown after Brown assaulted fellow singer Rihanna, his then-girlfriend. Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault and received a sentence of five years' probation and six months of community service. Geragos also defended Brown when he violated his probation.
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Mark represented Jussie Smollett after the actor was accused of making a false police report in 2019, and prosecutors dropped all 16 criminal charges. Smollett was sentenced to 16 hours of community service and had to forfeit his $10,000 bond to the city of Chicago. In 2020, Geragos & Geragos sued Travelers Insurance for "initially denying coverage of their pandemic-related claims." Though the law firm was not included in L.A.'s government-mandated shutdowns, the lawsuit stated that Geragos & Geragos had "been forced to deal with a substantial loss in business traffic and client/law-related business activities." Mark was also one of the lead attorneys on two federal class action lawsuits that were filed against New York Life Insurance and AXA regarding policies issued during the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century. The cases were settled for more than $37 million in 2004 and 2005.
Awards and Honors
In 1999, the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Bar Association named Geragos Trial Lawyer of the Year, and he received the Jerry Giesler Memorial Award for Trial Skills, Judgement & Dedication. The Mexican American Grocers Association honored him with the Humanitarian of the Year award in 2001, and the Armenian Professional Society named him Professional of the Year in 2004. Mark was also named Consumer Attorney of the Year by the Consumer Attorneys of California (2005) and Attorney of the Year by "California Lawyer" magazine (2006).
Personal Life
Mark is married to Paulette Kassabian, and they have a daughter named Teny. Geragos has close ties with the Armenian community, and he has served on the Armenia Fund's International Board of Trustees since 2006. He has also been a member of Birthright Armenia's Advisory Committee as well as Chairman of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.
Real Estate
For over a decade, Mark and Paulette have lived in the LA suburb of La Canada Flintridge. Their 7,500 square foot mansion is likely worth north of $7 million based on similar nearby comparable sales.
