Louie Casuso, who was both a friend and colleague, has passed away after a short illness.
Louie was a Justice Building regular and irregular. He had a away about him, call it a style, that not many others had.
We met him under unusual circumstances that were, to put it mildly, not pleasant for either of us. But that case passed, and we came away from it impressed by his skills as a lawyer. His voice mannerisms and intonation may have reminded one of a character out of On The Waterfront, but that only served to partly disguise a very crafty and skilled defense attorney. One thing is for certain, Lou Casuso knew his way around a courtroom. After meeting him and settling our differences, he became a friend and we were better for it.
Louie was a friend and mentor to many young lawyers. Many is the time we would see him in the courthouse explaining the facts of life over a cup of coffee to a young lawyer who had just left the SAO or PDs office.
Louie was not just a great lawyer, he was an upstanding friend. We will feel his loss and he will be missed.
He was a very experienced and successful lawyer that had no ego. He was a good guy and I’m sorry to see him pass away
ReplyDeleteAnyone on the litserve can no longer doubt who Rumple is based upon this post and the almost identical email posted today about Louie.......
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that, we lost another legend. I really enjoyed sitting with Louie and hearing his stories at the cafeteria. Condolences to his family.
ReplyDeleteA great lawyer and a funny guy...as many are. RIP, Lou
ReplyDeleteWhich was what? That he and I had a big fall out over flipping a client on a case? And that has revealed me how?
ReplyDeleteRest in peace!
ReplyDeleteAnother sad loss of a lovely man and fine lawyer. A poignant reminder that we "are dust and to dust we shall return". Our days are numbered. Make them count. Be kind. Express your love and check off that bucket list.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoyed talking to Louie. A really good guy with a great sense of humor. Condolences to his family. May you rest in peace, Louie.
ReplyDeleteHe was Buena Gente. Descansa en paz.
ReplyDeleteCarmen M. Vizcaino
He was Buena Gente. Descansa en paz.
ReplyDeleteCarmen M. Vizcaino
Had many battles with Louie when he was a young aggressive ASA. We did reach some mutual respect once he left the "dark side". He became a success as one of Miami's go to drug lawyers in the 80s and 90s. Sorry to see him pass. RIP
ReplyDeleteRumpole's identity has been an open secret for a while. But let's give the guy a break. His identity is not important in any meaningful way, and his plausible deniability and veneer of anonymity gives him the room to do more with this blog than he'd be able to do otherwise.
ReplyDelete100 percent correct. Thanks for that. And I’ve been able to blog while doing other things.
ReplyDeletePeace.
Barack Obama.
Another legend has passed. If the Gerstein Building had a hall of fame, Lou would be a member for sure. Lou started as a young prosecutor in the 70's when I was country court chief. He was a natural born trial lawyer and immediately immersed himself in trial advocacy. He was one of the greats. And he always had time to chat over coffee. I shall miss him.
ReplyDeleteRumpole is a treasure. I enjoy his blog so much. Many blessings.
ReplyDeleteTed- there should be an REGJB HOF- we need to record these people and their stories. The cases they tried, the way they handled themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou would be in the HOF, along with so many others whose names are receding into the past.
Terry McWilliams
CP Rubiero
Judge Henry Leyte Vidal
PD Carl Vizzi
Abe Laeser
Howard Pohl
Edith Georgi
Judge Cowart
Your Bailiff Wally
Judge Fred Nesbitt
Of course Sy and Sharpie
Louie Casuso
Ed Carhart- one of the very best ever to try a case in the Building - just a giant among criminal defense attorneys and when he was a prosecutor as well
Eddie ODonnell Sr (and Jr for that matter)
Dick Gerstein
Judge Lenny Glick
I could go on and on
Great idea and great list.
DeleteTo the anonymous idiot at 3:05:00 PM, a man has passed away and Rumpole posts a tribute and that's the comment you leave? Oy. You sir are an idiot.
ReplyDeleteStupid is as stupid does.
ReplyDeleteI would add, Don Frost,Tom Duff, Gino Negretti, "Stormin" Norman Haft, among others.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad and somewhat depressing watching this generation of REG legends pass away as we all get older. Remember to cherish every single day, even the hard ones where you are getting beat down by judges, ASAs and clients.....it's all way better than the alternative and we are all lucky every day we can walk into that building.......
ReplyDeleteRumpole,
ReplyDeleteEven that short list brought back a lot of memories for me. I have walked those halls since 1973 and have seen many come and many go. I have witnessed the greats, near greats, and the not so greats.
Thanks for the memories.
TM I don’t know The first two. I know The second two. Why don’t you write something up on Gino a/k/a The Cuban Rocket and I’ll post it. Great fun.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we have a "believe it or not" war story contest submitted anonymously. The attorneys connected to the stories can be named and can be those still with us or who passed on. There are some great stories out there that may soon be lost.
ReplyDeleteIf I recall correctly, Gino was from Puerto Rico. I think at one time someone planted a bomb intended for him. Tom Duff was quite a guy. Very well dressed and always had a carnation in his label.
ReplyDeleteDon Frost had a bad habit of puttung a lit cigar in his suit pocket. One time when I was a county court judge doing traffic cases Don managed to catch himself on fire. His pocket began to smoulder. It cut short his presentation.
ReplyDeleteC.P.Rubiera was a long time county court judge who started in the old Metro Court as did Jerry Klein, John Smith, Bob Deehl amd a few others. Rube was a class act all the way and a loss to the bench when he retired. He did a short stink in private practice with Paul Pollack. He retired to Stuart, Florida where he died a number of years ago,
In addition to Lou Casuso, any REGJB Hall of Fame would have to include the following attorneys:
ReplyDeleteHenry Carr
Walter Gwinn
Paul Pollack
Jerry Kogan
Max Kogen
Harry Prebish
Phil Carlton
Max Engel
David Stern
ReplyDeleteGeorge Cholakis
Lets add Marvin Emory, Henry's long time law partner. We should rename North River Drive as Marvin Emory Avenue since he died there in a flaming car wreck. He was the first openly gay criminal defense attorney. And was very effective in the courtroom with Mr. Carr.( the silver fox)
ReplyDeleteRIP louie. You were fantastic. Too bad they devolved your passing into a dumb HOF line with, of course, no mention of a single woman because you know, women ….
ReplyDeleteYou’re so right. Edith Georgie, Jane Moscowitz, for two. You felt like you’d lost weight when you finished an argument with either one of them. There are lots more.
DeleteRichard Sharpstein
ReplyDeleteLinnae Snyder. Had more balls than most males either in the PD or SAO.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said It has always been heard that behind a good woman there is a good man, in the case of Mr. Casuso, his mother was his great example who instilled in his manners, human qualities, and, above all, the drive to be a professional. It is unfortunate that none of his children have become lawyers like him, an excellent professional.
ReplyDeleteMr Casuso saved my life in 1988. Thank you Louis !
ReplyDelete