Gerry Spence
| Gerry Spence | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 8, 1929 Laramie, Wyoming |
| Education | University of Wyoming Law School |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Gerald Leonard "Gerry" Spence (born January 8, 1929) is a semi-retired American trial lawyer. He is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. As of 2014[update], Spence has never lost a criminal case either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney. He has not lost a civil case since 1969.
Spence graduated from the University of Wyoming Law School in 1952, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in May 1990. He started his career in Riverton, Wyoming, and later became a successful defense attorney for the insurance industry. Years later, Spence said he "saw the light" and became committed to representing people instead of corporations, insurance companies, banks, or "big business".
Gerry Spence and his second wife, Imaging, share their time between homes near Jackson, Wyoming and Santa Barbara, California.
Spence gained attention for the Karen Silkwood case. Karen Silkwood was a chemical technician at the Kerr-McGee plutonium-production plant, where she became an activist and vocal critic of plant safety, as what would now be known as a whistleblower. On November 13, 1974, Silkwood died in a one-car crash under suspicious circumstances after reportedly gathering evidence for her union. Spence represented Silkwood's father and children, who charged that Kerr-McGee was responsible for exposing Silkwood to dangerous levels of radiation. Spence won a $10.5 million verdict for the family.
In 1984, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the family's right to sue under state law for punitive damages from a federally regulated industry. The Silkwood case achieved international fame and was the subject of many books, magazine and newspaper articles, and a major motion picture.
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