James Girard Butler (September 26, 1920 – May 26, 2005) was an American trial lawyer. He was known for winning many large

verdict In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In England and Wales ...

s for plaintiffs in civil litigation, including the first in a

thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is a medication used to treat a number of cancers (including multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and a number of skin conditions including complications o ...

case.Valerie J. Nelson
Obituary, James Butler, 84; Groundbreaking Lawyer, Activist, Art Collector
''Los Angeles Times'', June 4, 2005. Butler was also known as a

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

leader and an

art collector A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...

. "Known for his colorful and charismatic courtroom presence, Butler once told a jury in a pharmaceuticals case, 'If you do justice, you'll sock it to 'em.

Early life, education, and military service

Butler was born on September 26, 1920, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. His father, a

postman A mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, or letter carrier (in American English), sometimes colloquially known as a postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), is an employee of a post ...

, worked on a railway mail car. Butler received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from Saint Peter's College in Jersey City. In 1943, he enlisted in the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

, and served in the Pacific Theater of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

as a

fighter plane Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domination o ...

pilot. Butler received the Distinguished Flying Cross,

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

, three Gold Stars and five citations for bravery. During World War II, Butler became ill with

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and was treated by a Marine nurse, Master Sergeant Eugenia Louise Jefferson. They married in 1945. Butler attended

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

and graduated in 1947.

Career

As an attorney, Butler became known for his defective drugs

products liability Product liability is the area of law in which manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, and others who make products available to the public are held responsible for the injuries those products cause. Although the word "product" has bro ...

work. In 1971, he won a $2.75 million jury

against

Richardson-Merrell Marion Merrell Dow and its predecessor Marion Laboratories was a U.S. pharmaceutical company based in Kansas City, Missouri from 1950 until 1996. The company specialized in bringing to market drugs that had been discovered but unmarketed by other ...

, the company that tested thalidomide, which caused

birth defect A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities ca ...

s. The judgment was later reduced to $500,000. After the first case, Butler went on to serve as plaintiffs' counsel in about 20 more thalidomide cases. Other notable cases in which Butler was counsel including litigation over

Turkish Airlines Flight 981 Turkish Airlines Flight 981 was a scheduled flight from Istanbul Yeşilköy Airport to London Heathrow Airport, with an intermediate stop at Orly Airport in Paris. On 3 March 1974, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operating the flight crashed into ...

(which crashed in Paris in 1974) and Pan Am Flight 73 (which was hijacked in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

). Butler was a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates. Butler was also known for his involvement in the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

. As a 35-year-old

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city att ...

in 1955, Butler became the first vice president of the Compton NAACP. According to unofficial Compton NAACP historian Maxcy Filer, "The City Council even asked Jim Butler, 'What can we do about this NAACP?' Jim said, 'You accept it .... In fact, here's my membership card.' They all kind of kept quiet for about five minutes." In retaliation for Butler's involvement with the NAACP, the City Council attempted a recall effort, which narrowly failed. Butler remained involved with the Compton NAACP until 1958, when moved to the Hancock Park neighborhood, to a home originally built for Bernard Baruch. Butler lived in the home until he died in 2005. Butler died in his sleep of cancer at his home on May 26, 2005, at age 84.James G. Butler
Inner Circle of Advocates.

Personal life

Butler was an

and had a collection featuring several notable works, including that of

James Lee Byars James Lee Byars (April 10, 1932, Detroit, Michigan – May 23, 1997, Cairo, Egypt) was an American conceptual artist and performance artist specializing in installations and sculptures, as well as a self-considered mystic. He was best known for h ...

. His law offices on

Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal ...

featured eight

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

lithographs of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

and other significant works. Butler's daughter, Eugenia P. Butler, also became an artist, and her work was exhibited by the

Otis College of Art and Design Otis College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1918, it was the city's first independent professional school of art. The main campus is located in the former IBM Aerospace headquarte ...

in 2003. Butler married twice. His first marriage to art gallerist Eugenia Butler ended in 1970. His second marriage was to artist Morgan Thomas and lasted from late 1970s to 1989. He was survived by nine children and four grandchildren. According to the ''Los Angeles Times'', Butler and his wife "raised their children to become political activists and were known for having an open house with a guest list that included members of the Black Panther Party," holding parties with friends from the art world and loud

Caribbean music Caribbean music genres are very diverse. They are each synthesis of African, European, Arab, Asian, and Indigenous influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves (see Afro-Caribbean music), along with contributions from other comm ...

. On one occasion, a neighbor who led the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ide ...

in Southern California, circulated a petition asking the family to sell the house, and Eugenia, the eldest of Butler's children, sent her brother Justin to "tell them we are selling the house to the Black Panthers." Butler was a collector of dictionaries.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, James Girard 1920 births 2005 deaths American civil rights activists United States Marine Corps pilots of World War II Georgetown University Law Center alumni People from Elizabeth, New Jersey Lawyers from Los Angeles Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Saint Peter's University alumni Activists from California Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from New Jersey