"Fear and Loathing’ in legal land
Author and pop-culture icon Hunter S. Thompson said even if he had not been run over by the wheels of justice a couple of times, he’d still be a Hal Haddon fan.
Haddon is representing Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who’s charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old Eagle woman. The Doctor says Bryant is in good hands.
“He hates to lose,” said Thompson. I can’t remember him ever losing a case.”
Haddon has seen Thompson through some thorny legal landscapes, and Thompson always walks out of the briar patch maybe scratched but otherwise unscathed. But more than that, Thompson said he has the privilege of calling Haddon his good friend.
“Hal Haddon has been my attorney for many years, and I’ve known him a lot longer than that, since he was Gary Hart’s campaign manager,” said Thompson. “I have nothing but good things to say about him. He has been extremely effective for me.”
Thompson and Haddon, 62, have been partners through some amazing adventures, mostly legal, but some personal.
“He’s the best criminal lawyer around, and on any given day he’s the best defense attorney anywhere,” said Thompson. But more than that, he’s also a good friend.”
Thompson said Haddon believes deeply in what he’s doing – giving defendants the best defense.
“That has to be the reason Kobe Bryant chose him,” said Thompson. “He will make the case very difficult for the prosecution.”
Like everyone else, Thompson said he hasn’t quite figured out the Bryant case.
“I haven’t yet figured out the case myself as to what happened,” he said. “I could actually be an impartial juror, and I’m not looking forward to that at all.
“I’m just trying to get a sense of what’s going on.”
Thompson said that while he’s a huge Hal Haddon fan, and an NBA fan, he’s no particular fan of Bryant fan or the Lakers.
“I’m more of a Sacramento Kings fan,” he said.
As to the probable cause for the mess in which Bryant has found himself, Thompson is succinct.
“Gross stupidity is about the only thing I’ve settled on as a main contributing factor here,” he said.
Sterling reputation
As a young deputy district attorney, local attorney Tim Meinert crossed swords with Pam Mackey, the other member of Bryant’s defense team. One of the best legal moves Haddon ever made, Meinert said, was recruiting Mackey into his firm.
“Haddon made the right move bringing Mackey into the firm, and he was right putting her out front on this case,” said Meinert.
“Mr. Bryant’s better off with a woman,” Meinert said. “It’s a much smarter move than hiring some Johnnie Cochran-type of attorney.”
Meinert said Haddon’s reputation is impeccable.
“Haddon has a sterling reputation,” said Meinert. “He’s a great guy and he’s politically connected. I refer cases to their firm all the time.”
The rumor mill continues to swirl downward, and Meinert said Haddon and District Attorney Mark Hurlbert are both better off taking the high road.
“They’re not getting caught up in any of that, to their credit,” said Meinert.
Meinert has been in Hurlbert’s shoes. He prosecuted the Denver Broncos’ Gerald Perry and lost, an experience he said he does not wish to repeat. He called it “a disaster.”
“I have tried these (sexual assault) cases and they’re very difficult,” said Meinert. “It’s a hard sell even in the best of circumstances.”
“They may have enough to file. Convicting is something else.”
Defensive duo
Bryant’s legal team is two low-profile attorneys with a high profile client list. Among others, Haddon represented John Ramsey during a Boulder investigation into the 1996 slaying of Ramsey’s 6-year-old daughter JonBenet. Charges were never filed.
Colleagues say Haddon and Mackey are well-respected across Colorado for a meticulous work ethic. The two have refused to give interviews, instead concentrating on trying their case in a court of law, and leaving the court of public opinion to fend for itself.
So far, their only public appearances have been a nationally televised news conference on the day Bryant was charged, and during a hearing last week in which media outlets argued to have the criminal investigation file opened to the public.
Haddon started his career as a public defender and is now one of the most successful defense attorneys in the Rocky Mountain West. He has been in private practice in Denver since the mid-1970s. He also ran former Sen. Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential campaign.
