E-Paper
Who was Roy Black? Miami attorney who represented Jeffrey Epstein dies at 80
Miami defense attorney Roy Black represented high-profile clients including Jeffrey Epstein and Justin Bieber. He is survived by wife Lea and 2 children.
Roy Black, a renowned Miami defense attorney who represented high-profile clients including Jeffrey Epstein, pop star Justin Bieber, and race car driver Helio Castroneves, has died at the age of 80, his law partner announced Tuesday. Black first gained national prominence after securing an acquittal in the widely publicized 1991 William Kennedy Smith rape trial.
“For more than 30 years, Roy was my teacher, mentor and friend,” his law partner, Howard Srebnick, said in an email to AP. “The loss(es) I feel personally and professionally are immeasurable.”
Roy Black Family
Black is survived by his wife, Lea, whom he met when she was a juror during the Kennedy Smith trial. She later appeared on TV’s Real Housewives of Miami. They have two children: a son, RJ, and a daughter, Nora.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Lea said he died at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, on Monday after an illness.
"Thank you all for your blessings," Lea wrote on Instagram. "We will be announcing details for a tribute and celebration of life in a few weeks."
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
Roy Black Tributes
In Miami’s legal community, Roy Black was widely regarded as the GOAT — the greatest of all time — according to fellow defense attorney David O. Markus, who likened him to NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan.
“He worked harder than any lawyer I know. And he outlawyered every prosecutor who he ever went up against. I will miss him. His impact on criminal defense is beyond measure,” Markus said in an email to AP.
Attorney Alan Dershowitz told WFLA, “He will be remembered by all lawyers, and by all people who care about justice as a truly great man. The law will miss him, Florida will miss him, and ... I will miss him.”
Coral Gables attorney Todd J. Michaels reflected on Black’s passing in a post on The Southern District of Florida blog.
“I think for every single one of us who came through the Public Defender’s Office, Roy was who we wanted to be,” Michaels wrote. “He was a legend in his time, and he was one of the few people whose talents lived up to the myth. Then you got to meet him and he was just a nice, funny, charming, approachable man. What a huge loss.”
(With inputs from AP)
