July 25 (UPI) — Roy Black, the lawyer who defended high-profile clients including Justin Bieber and Jeffrey Epstein, and gained national attention by winning an acquittal in the 1991 William Kennedy Smith rape trial, has died at aged 80, his law partner said.
Black also represented media personality Rush Limbaugh, race car driver Helio Castroneves and Colombian drug lord Fabio Ochoa, among others.
Howard Srebnick, Black’s law partner, confirmed Black’s passing in a statement to The New York Times. The cause of death was not specified, though Srebnick said he had battled “a serious illness.”
Smith’s 1991 trial became a high-profile criminal defense moment. He was acquitted by a jury after only 77 minutes of deliberation following a 10-day trial.
UPI reported at the time that the testimony of 47 witnesses boiled down to evidence of some bruises and conflicting stories from the the accused and the alleged victim in the alleged rape.
During the trial, his accuser was blocked on television by a fuzzy blue electronic dot. Later identified as Patricia Bowman, she told Diane Sawyer of ABC’s Prime Time Live in a December 1991 interview that she fainted on hearing the verdict.
Smith is the nephew of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, former U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Kennedy Smith is now a physician and works with an organization that bans land mines and treats victims injured by them.
Black also frequently wrote law-related articles for national publications and appeared regularly on national television shows.
Hulk Hogan
Retired professional wrestler Hulk Hogan reaches out to fans as he arrives at Randall’s Wines and Spirits for a signing appearance in St. Louis on in July 2024. Hogan, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea, died July 24, 2025, reportedly of cardiac arrest, in Clearwater, Fla., File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
