Name E. Bryson | ||
E. Brent Bryson (born June 19, 1957, in Wise, Virginia) is a nationally recognized criminal defense attorney based out of Las Vegas Nevada for the last 20 years. He was involved in the O.J. Simpson Las Vegas robbery case, in which he defended Simpson's co-defendant, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, who was ultimately convicted along with Simpson.
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Throughout 19 years of practicing law, E. Brent Bryson has been involved in many nationally publicized cases against various police departments, casinos, and corporations.
Early life
E. Brent Bryson was born in Wise, Virginia, on July 19, 1957. He moved to Tucson, Arizona, as a teen with his mother in the early 1970s. His interest in music began at an early age where he acquired an affinity for the trumpet, an instrument that his father played as well.
Bryson spent much of his youth as a musician in Tucson playing at numerous venues with his father, who was a band instructor. After many years of local engagements in Tucson, Bryson began traveling across the country playing his trumpet at a variety of establishments throughout the late 1970s and much of the 1980s. His career as a successful musician spanned approximately 13 years.
Manslaughter Trial
On August 27, 1982, Bryson was involved in a bar fight at the Hilton Inn in Casper, Wyoming. Bryson and 30-year-old postal worker Roche Boyles got into a physical altercation over a seat, during which Bryson's wine glass cut Boyles' throat. Boyles died of his injuries 22 hours later. Bryson was charged with manslaughter, and was ultimately acquitted after nine hours of jury deliberation.
In later interviews, Bryson claimed that the slaying and trial changed his life, and he vowed afterwards to make the world a better place. He decided that the best way to do so would be to become a lawyer.
Law career
Bryson graduated with honors from Whittier Law after having had the privilege of teaching a course while enrolled as a student. He is a current or former member of the Clark County and American Bar Associations, the State Bar of Nevada, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Supreme Court Historical Society, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
E. Brent Bryson is currently a practitioner in Las Vegas, Nevada, with approximately 60% of his practice dedicated to civil litigation with an emphasis on Plaintiff’s cases. The remainder of Bryson’s practice is dedicated to select criminal and family law cases. Bryson has litigated extensively in cases involving premises liability, excessive and unreasonable force used by hotel and casino security guards, as well as §1983 Civil Rights actions.
Bryson obtained one of the largest settlements in the history of Nevada for a police excessive force case. Additionally, Bryson was able to advance one of the few “Ecstasy drug cases” against an establishment for wrongful death in the country. Bryson was also lead Plaintiffs’ counsel in a case against the Appalachian School of Law that drew both national and international attention involving the shooting and killing of students and faculty by a disgruntled former student. The case settled for policy limits prior to any depositions being taken. Additionally, Bryson was lead counsel in a case against a hotel casino in Laughlin, Nevada which resulted in the only jury verdict against the hotel casino for its conduct surrounding the melee between the Hells Angels and Mongols Motorcycle Clubs during the 2002 Laughlin River Run. Bryson represented O.J. Simpson’s co-defendant Clarence Stewart in the infamous criminal trial regarding Simpson’s attempted recovery of property in Nevada. Bryson also successfully argued Stewart’s appeal before the Nevada supreme Court which resulted in Stewart’s conviction being overturned.
In addition to arguing before the Nevada Supreme Court, Bryson has argued before the Ninth Circuit court of Appeals. He has conducted trials at all levels in both the State and Federal Courts of Nevada.
Bryson has appeared on newscasts around the world, including CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox 5, CNN, Court TV, MSNBC and telemundo news. He has also appeared on numerous television shows, including In Session, Tru TV’s most shocking court videos, the Johnnie Cochrane Show, Good Morning America, and Inside Edition. Additionally, Bryson has been a frequent commentator for television news stations and radio. Bryson has lectured and written in the areas of trial advocacy, deposition strategy, and police liability.
Cases
Bower v Harrah's. Bower and four other plaintiffs are suing Harrah's Laughlin for damages suffered by them as a result of the brawl and killings at Harrah's Laughlin in 2002, when the Mongols Motorcycle Club and the Hells Angels gang fought and shot each other in the casino in Laughlin at 2:15 in the morning on April 27, 2002.
Bower suffered over $50,000 in physical injuries and had his pre-existing neuropsychiatric disability of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severely exacerbated and damaged by the events of that brawl. Bower is a Vietnam veteran and served with the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. He was an infantryman and involved in many battles while serving his country in Vietnam, specifically the operation known as Hamburger Hill and the devastating fight at FSB Spear which was overrun by the North Vietnamese army. The battle at Spear had over 15 soldiers killed from the 101st, and Bower suffered his initial PTSD from the events of that battle and has had to live with that psychological damage ever since, which was brutally exacerbated by the brawl at Harrah's that took him back to FSB Spear and all of the events he experienced during his time in Vietnam.
Brent Bryson won an appeal before the Nevada Supreme Court in which he eloquently argued that Bower and the other plaintiffs in Bower v Harrah's should have a trial, and as a result of his superb presentation to the Nevada Supreme court, a trial was granted, and the lower courts which had denied the trial were overruled.