Garo Mardirossian

Garo Mardirossian (born 1956)[1][2][note 1] is a prominent Armenian-American lawyer practicing in Los Angeles.[1] Mardirossian has had significant law cases involving personal injury, civil rights, complex litigation, product liability, and constitutional law. Several of the cases he has been involved in have brought national and international attention, including the Dole bridal shower[1] and Thomas beating cases by different police agencies. The Dole Family case involved many victims, including the television celebrity female wrestler known as Mt. Fiji (Emily Dole),[3][4][note 2] and resulted in the highest monetary jury award against a policing agency in U.S. history.[1][2][note 3]

Garo Mardirossian
Born	Garo Mardirossian 1956 (age 64–65) Aleppo, Syria
Nationality	Armenian-American
Alma mater	B.A. Economics, University of California, Los Angeles; J.D., Whittier Law School
Occupation	Attorney, judge pro tem, arbitrator
Years active	1981-present
Employer	Mardirossian & Associates Inc. (formerly known as Law Offices of Garo Mardirossian)

See also

• Rodney King beating, another later Los Angeles major police brutality case.
• History of the Armenian Americans in Los Angeles
• Armenian diaspora

Notes

1. The 1995 American Lawyer and Los Angeles Daily Journal articles, amongst others at the time, note Mardirossian's age at 39 at the time of the Dole verdict.
2. Emily Dole professionally in wrestling is known as Mountain Fiji, sometimes abbreviated incorrectly in publications as Mt. Fiji rather than Mtn. Fiji.
3. The legal case involved 36 plaintiffs, including the taking of the depositions of Sheriff Sherman Block and over 50 deputies. The final judgement by jury verdict that was paid with interest was $24,850,000.

References

1. Nachman, S., American Lawyer, 1995 October, p. 28.
2. Berg, Martin, “Judgment Day – Lawyer Wins Biggest Police Abuse Verdict Ever”, Los Angeles Daily Journal, 1995 August 18, Friday, p. 1, Vol. 108, No. 157. Dole v. County of Los Angeles, C751398 (Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No.).
3. Los Angeles Times, 1989 October 11.
4. Kandyba, Slav, cover story, “The mountain that roared – A former member of “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” wants to be an entertainer again”, Orange County Register, 2006 April 7, Friday, “Westside Weekly”, p. 3.

Further reading

Re Dole case

• California Lawyer, 1996 February, cover: “The Most Important Case You Never Heard Of – A Jury Speaks Out”.
• Berg, Martin; and Botts, Doug, “What the Jury Saw – An Oral History of a Landmark Case Rescued from Obscurity by the Integrity of its Jurors. Interviews by Martin Berg. Video stills by Doug Botts.” California Lawyer, 1996 February.