John O'Quinn

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John O'Quinn (born 1941) is a legendary and controversial Texas trial lawyer and a partner at The O'Quinn Law Firm. Going for over a decade without losing a case, he is reportedly also the highest paid lawyer in Texas. His firm has made its business in litigation: suing breast implant manufacturers, medical facilities, tobacco companies, etc.

O'Quinn has had frequent troubles with the State Bar due to frequent accusations of unethical actions. O'Quinn received a public reprimand in 1989 after a lengthy State Bar investigation into allegations that his firm had wrongly solicited cases. Family members of victims have charged that they were approached by O'Quinn's lawyers, and their agents, after a July 2, 1994 USAir jet crash in North Carolina.

In August 2005, his $25 million donation to St. Luke's Episcopal Health System's Health, Hope and the Human Spirit capital campaign was coupled with the renaming of their signature medical tower to the O'Quinn Medical Tower. This caused controversy and protests from the doctors who work there, considering O'Quinn had made millions of dollars from suing doctors. Despite the complaints, the deal was approved by the hospital's board of directors. The library at the University of Houston Law Center was also renamed to O'Quinn Law Library after his donations.

In October 2006, O'Quinn pledged $5 million to Texas Democrat Chris Bell for his gubernatorial campaign [1].

O'Quinn also maintains an extensive collection of collector cars with a total value of over $100 million. In October 2005, he bought Pope John Paul II's 1975 Ford Escort GL (€690,000). In September 2006, he bought a 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo covered with 33 celebrity autographs ($500,000), the Batmobile used in the filming of Batman Forever ($335,000), a 1941 Packard limousine used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt ($290,000), a 1938 Talbot-Lago ($3,350,000), and a 1938 Cadillac Town Car used by Pope Pius XII ($250,000). According to an interview on 20/20 O'Quinn has over 900 cars[[2]].

[edit] Anna Nicole Smith litigation

In February of 2007, O'Quinn represented Virgie Arthur, the mother of the deceased Anna Nicole Smith, in a Florida courtroom to determine who should have control over the decedent's body. O'Quinn was the subject of media scrutiny when he fainted in the courtroom shortly before lunch on February 22, 2007. Some questioned whether he was healthy enough to take part in the proceeding especially in light of what occurred once the court session resumed after a lunch break. After persuading Judge Larry Seidlin to allow Smith's first husband, Billy Ray Smith, to testify by telephone, court observers gasped and laughed when Billy Ray surprised O'Quinn by testifying he wanted Anna Nicole buried next to their son in the Bahamas. O'Quinn and Virgie Arthur appeared on NBC's The Today Show on the following morning to try and explain that portion of the testimony.