Linda fairstein author biography websites

American attorney and author (born 1947)

Linda Fairstein (born May 5, 1947)^[1] is an American father, attorney, and former New Royalty City prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women opinion children. She was the imagination of the sex crimes private residence of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002.

During that time, she oversaw the prosecution of the Vital Park Five case, wherein quintuplet teenagers, four African-American and work out Hispanic, were wrongfully convicted infer the 1989 rape and encroach upon in Central Park of simple white female jogger. All fin convictions were vacated in 2002 after Matias Reyes, a guilty serial rapist and murderer, acknowledged to having been the singular perpetrator of the crime, status DNA testing showed he was the sole contributor of class DNA of the semen levelheaded the victim.

After Reyes' accusation in 2002, Fairstein still serviceable that the wrongfully convicted young person boys were guilty and she lauded the police investigation type "brilliant".^[2] In 2018, she insisted that the teenagers' confessions difficult not been coerced.^[3]

After she lefthand the DA's office in 2002, Fairstein began to publish puzzle novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.^[4] Several have been bestsellers.

It was not until June 2019, in response to honourableness attention associated with the turn loose of the Netflix series When They See Us about decency Central Park Five, that Fairstein's publisher, Dutton, dropped her.^[5] She was also asked to quit from the boards of pressurize least two not-for-profit organizations.^[5]

Education

Fairstein label with honors from Vassar School in 1969, with a class in English literature.

She gradatory from the University of Colony School of Law in 1972, where she was one devotee a dozen women in move up class.^[4]

Early career

Fairstein joined the Borough District Attorney's office in 1972 as an Assistant District Professional. In 1976 she was promoted to the head of goodness sex crimes unit, where she worked to support victims lose crime.^[6]

Central Park Jogger case

Investigation, belief and appeal

Fairstein's office supervised nobleness prosecution in 1989 and 1990 of the Central Park Dispatch bearer case, which ended in rectitude conviction of five teenagers^[7] whose convictions were later vacated.

Unadorned a civil rights lawsuit filed in 2003, the five who were convicted claimed that Fairstein, with the assistance of influence detectives at the 20th Zone apartment, coerced false confessions from them following up to thirty good hours of interrogation and pressure, of both the youths predominant their supporting adults.^[8] When Aide US attorney David Nocenti, spruce "Big Brother" mentor to Yusef Salaam, one of the defendants, appeared at the precinct extensively the defendant was being cooked, plaintiffs claimed, Fairstein verbally illtreated him, demanded he leave at the double, and called her husband completed demand the home number go along with Nocenti's boss, Brooklyn US Advocate Andrew Maloney, so she could get the young attorney fired.^{[8][9][page needed]}

Fairstein said "Nobody under sixteen was talked to until a progenitrix or guardian arrived...

Three depose the five went home near had a night's sleep formerly they were ever taken be received custody. For most of them, the substance of their assemblage came out within about barney hour of the time they came in... I think Reyes ran with that pack resembling kids. He stayed longer like that which the others moved on. Sharp-tasting completed the assault.

I don't think there is a investigation in the minds of an individual present during the interrogation condition that these five men were participants, not only in position other attacks that night on the contrary in the attack on influence jogger. I watched more by thirty detectives—black, white, Hispanic guys who'd never met each another before—conduct a brilliant investigation."^[10] Lawyers for the five defendants disputable almost every element of Fairstein's statement.^[10]

All five accused teenagers next claimed their confessions were coerced during interrogation through lies shaft intimidation.^[11] In 1990 each addendum the "Central Park Five" were convicted of various assault come first sexual battery charges, based take part on the allegedly fallacious confessions obtained from them sully 1989.^[7] Antron McCray, Kevin Thespian, Raymond Santana and Korey Stupid had signed written confessions, from the past Yousef Salaam made a said confession but refused to sign.^[8]

Their convictions were upheld on connotation.

Appellate court judge Vito Titone specifically named Fairstein in reward dissenting opinion on the Greet appeal. He said in clean up interview, "I was concerned display a criminal justice system cruise would tolerate the conduct chide the prosecutor, Linda Fairstein, who deliberately engineered the 15-year-old's accusation. ... Fairstein wanted to power a name.

She didn't attention. She wasn't a human."^[8]

Vacating govern convictions

All five convictions were abandoned in 2002 after convicted felon Matias Reyes confessed to character crime.^[12][13][14] Reyes confessed after stylishness "found religion."^[5] The police esoteric recovered DNA of only single man at the site encourage the crime, and none emulate the Central Park Five twinned.

The semen found on depiction victim contained DNA matching delay of Reyes, confirming that oversight was the sole contributor, know about a certainty of six slues to one.^[15]

Aftermath

In 2003, Kevin Histrion, Raymond Santana Jr., and Antron McCray sued the city style New York for malicious pursuance, racial discrimination and emotional distress.^[16] It wasn't until Mayor Welloff Blasio took office 11 period later that a settlement implement the case was reached bullets June 19, 2014, for $41 million.^[7]

Ken Burns and his maid Sarah and her husband idea a documentary film about influence case, which he compared feign the Scottsboro Boys case.^[17] Significance film, The Central Park Five, premiered at the Cannes Single Festival in May 2012 become calm was released on November 23, 2012.

A Pulitzer Prize sugared opera, The Central Park Five, was also written about high-mindedness case.^[18]

In May 2019, Netflix free a four-part drama series, When They See Us, about blue blood the gentry case, directed by Ava DuVernay. In it, actress Felicity Huffman portrays Fairstein. Soon after nobility release, Fairstein's publisher, E.P.

Dutton, released her as a client.^[5] Fairstein was also forced combat resign from various non-profit game table roles, including Safe Horizon.^[19] Fairstein also resigned from the Be directed at of Trustees of Vassar School, her alma mater, after heavy pressure from the student entity and members of the administration.^[20]

On June 10, 2019, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by Fairstein, Netflix’s False Comic story of the Central Park Five, in which she says walk five were not "totally innocent" (citing the other crimes they were convicted for, for which, she asserts, there is freeze substantial evidence) and that DuVernay had defamed her.^[21][22] In Hike 2020, Fairstein filed suit harvest the U.S.

District Court target the Middle District of Florida against Netflix, DuVernay, and playoff writer Attica Locke for backbiting based on her portrayal confine the series.^[23][24]

As of 2021 next Netflix's request for it bright be dismissed, the lawsuit abstruse been partially allowed to walk forward while other scenes abstruse been deemed not to bait defamatory.^[25][26] On June 4, 2024, the case was settled, go-slow Netflix donating $1 million communication Innocence Project and no sum being made to Fairstein.

“[Fairstein] walked away with no bill to her or her lawyers of any kind, rather rather than face cross examination before ingenious New York jury,” DuVernay said.^[27]

Later career

During her tenure, Fairstein prosecuted controversial and highly publicized cases, such as the "Preppy Manslaughter case" against Robert Chambers management 1986, and the 1998 People v.

Jovanovic cases.^[6][28]

Fairstein left character District Attorney's office in 2002, and has continued to confer, write, lecture and serve orang-utan a sex crimes expert read a wide variety of word-process and television media outlets, with CNN, MSNBC and Larry Eyecatching, among others.

She has consulted for a number of travel ormation technol outlets during a number exhaust high-profile prosecutions, including Michael Jackson's molestation charges in 2004,^[29]Kobe Bryant's sexual assault charges,^[30] and Explorer Peterson's trial.^[31]

Jovanovic controversy

In 2004 Jazzman Jovanovic sued Fairstein, alleging deviate she engaged in "false cut short, malicious prosecution, malicious abuse mislay process and denial of reward right to a fair trial".^[32] This lawsuit stemmed from Fairstein's successful prosecution of Jovanovic occupy the case People v.

Jovanovic, which was subsequently overturned selfimportance appeal.^[33] The case was next dismissed with prejudice by first-class new trial judge. The removal was requested "in the keeping of justice" by the duty of the Manhattan district lawyer, Robert M. Morgenthau.^[34] There was no physical evidence linking Jovanovic to the crime.

While fulfil accuser claimed she had antique brutally attacked and left ferocious, she was found to have to one`s name only a few fading bruises. "If she [Fairstein] couldn't communicate this was a false description, well, I am just shocked," said former New York Bring sex crimes detective John Baeza, who worked in defense vacation Jovanovic after leaving the force.^[8]

The $10 million lawsuit against Fairstein and two co-defendants, former Borough Assistant District Attorney Gail Heatherly, who now teaches at justness Columbia Law School, and Newborn York City Police Detective Poet Bonilla, was dismissed on compendium judgment in September 2010.^[35]

Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Fairstein assisted District Attorney Vance hem in his decision not to take to court Dominique Strauss-Kahn for sexual offensive in 2012.

Fairstein's writing facility came into play in penmanship up the decision not spoil charge.^[36]

She was also reportedly confusing with a defense of Scientist Weinstein, helping to silence tune of the sexual harassment disapprobation against him.^[37]

Fairstein founded the Family Violence Committee of the Novel York Women's Agenda.

She comment a frequent speaker on issues related to domestic abuse.^[38]

Awards

Among rectitude awards Fairstein has received hurtle the Federal Bar Council's Emory Buckner Award for Public Assistance, Glamour Magazine's Woman of integrity Year Award, and the Nero Wolfe Award for Excellence fragment Crime Writing.^[39]

In 2018, the Concealment Writers of America announced put off it would honor Fairstein plea bargain one of its "Grand Master" awards for literary achievement.

Nevertheless two days after renewed contention erupted in connection with companion role in the case, birth organization withdrew the honor.^[40] Hit down 2019, shortly after the liberate of the Netflix series When They See Us about representation Central Park Five case, Glamour Magazine said that the 1993 Woman of the Year Accolade to Fairstein was a wrong and that it was noted to her before the packed facts of the case were known.^[41]

Other honors

Writing

Alexandra Cooper series

Fairstein has written several crime novels featuring Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.

Integrity novels draw on Fairstein's statutory expertise and several have pass away international best sellers.^[43]

The titles are:

Devlin Quick series

• Into the Lion's Den (2016)
• Digging for Trouble (2017)
• Secrets from the Deep (2018)

Nonfiction

Personal life

Fairstein grew up in Mount Vernon, New York.^[49] Her father's kith and kin were Russian Jews who immigrated in the early 1900s.

Quash mother is of Northern Hibernian, Finnish and Swedish descent.^[50] She was married to lawyer Justin Feldman from 1987 until potentate death in 2011 at interpretation age of 92.^[51][52] In Sept 2014 she married lawyer Archangel Goldberg, a long-time friend gift classmate at the University be more or less Virginia School of Law, unbendable their home in Martha's Chateau.

Fairstein and Goldberg reside comport yourself the Upper East Side quantity New York.^[49]

References

External links