Willie E. Gary is an American lawyer.

Early life and education

Born Willie Edward Gary on July 12, 1947, in Eastman, GA he is the son of Turner (a sharecropper) and Mary Gary. He attended Shaw University on a football scholarship graduating in 1971. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from

North Carolina Central University School of Law The North Carolina Central University School of Law (also known as NCCU School of Law or NCCU Law) is the law school associated with North Carolina Central University. The school is fully accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the ...

Career

Gary has won a $240 million verdict against

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

for stealing the concept of the

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located in the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort, in Bay Lake, Florida, Bay Lake, Florida, United States, near Orlando, Florida, Orlando. The complex includes ni ...

. In 1995, Gary filed a lawsuit on behalf of Mississippi funeral home operator

Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe III (July 12, 1923 – August 23, 2016) was an American fighter ace, Democratic Party politician, insurance executive, and funeral director. As a Marine pilot in World War II he received the Navy Cross for five of the sev ...

against Canadian businessman Raymond Loewen after Loewen reneged on a contractual agreement with O'Keefe. Gary won the case, with a jury awarding O'Keefe $500 million in punitive damages; although the case was settled afterward for $175 million, Gary's victory would eventually lead Loewen to resign from his firm, which later would be reorganized after a bankruptcy filing and be sold to a competitor, Service Corporation International. The Loewen funeral company case is set to become a

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

starring

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

. In 2019, a $23 billion case Gary won against R.J. Reynolds was overturned on appeal. The case stemmed from the death of Michael Johnson of

Escambia County, Florida Escambia County is the westernmost and oldest county in the U.S. state of Florida. It is in the state's northwestern corner. At the 2020 census, the population was 321,905. Its county seat and largest city is Pensacola. Escambia County is incl ...

in 1996, who died from lung cancer.

Memberships

Gary is a member of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

National Bar Association The National Bar Association (NBA) was founded in 1925 and is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 65,000 lawyers, judges, law profess ...

, and NAACP.

Awards and honors

General Assembly of the

State of South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

recognized him as one of the United States’ most respected and accomplished lawyers. In 2019, the

awarded him the Spirit of Excellence award at Caesar’s Palace in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Personal life

Gary owns two personal jets with the latest being named "Wings of Justice II". He is listed as one of the richest lawyers in the world. He is married to Gloria Gary and has 5 children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gary, Willie E. 1947 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers African-American lawyers 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people