Geragos hit with contract lawsuit

A nationally recognized trial consultant who worked briefly for Scott Peterson's defense team is suing lead attorney Mark Geragos, claiming Geragos violated a contract.

A hearing is scheduled for this morning in the small-claims division of Butte County Superior Court, not far from consultant Edward J. Bronson's Chico home. He is suing the Los Angeles celebrity lawyer for $5,000 plus $112 in court costs.

"Mr. Geragos broke his contract with me around December of 2003," Bronson wrote in the plaintiff's claim.

In a telephone interview, Bronson said he was retained by the Stanislaus County public defender's office when it briefly represented Peterson after his arrest in April 2003. Peterson's parents hired Geragos a couple of weeks later.

Peterson, 32, was convicted last month in San Mateo County of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn son, Conner. Jurors last week declared him worthy of execution; sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 25.

Bronson's specialty is studying whether high-profile cases should be moved in hopes of receiving a fair trial. He has worked on cases involving the Unabomber, the Oklahoma City bombing and the San Francisco dog-mauling murder — all moved to new venues.

Bronson's status with Peterson's defense wasn't clear when Geragos took over, Bronson said. When a TV network approached Bronson about commentating on the high-interest case, he wasn't sure if he had a conflict and asked Geragos to clarify their relationship, he said.

Geragos then asked Bronson to review a prosecution motion about bias around Modesto, he said. Bronson said he provided his opinion and figured he was on the case — but never heard from Geragos again.

It became clear that Geragos had dropped Bronson when the attorney hired another expert before persuading a judge in January to move Peterson's trial from Modesto. Bronson since has been quoted in several newspapers, including 10 times in The Bee, but he never landed TV work.

In his small-claims form, Bronson checked a box indicating that he asked Geragos for pay but received nothing.

Court officials said Geragos filed a response, but said it wasn't immediately available for public review. Attempts to reach Geragos Wednesday were not successful.

Bronson said Wednesday that Geragos claimed that Butte County courts have no jurisdiction because the contract wasn't entered into there. Bronson said the location is appropriate because he worked on the case from his home.

Testimony from experts hired by Geragos became an issue during the six-month trial, which in July was delayed while he sought tax money to pay them.

State law prohibits officials from releasing information about such requests, including whether they are granted.

Bee staff writer Garth Stapley can be reached at 578-2390 or gstapley@modbee.com.