By Larry Clinton, Sausalito Historical Society
COURTESY PHOTO
One of many books by Melvin Belli.
Legendary San Francisco lawyer Melvin Belli was known as “The King of Torts” for his flamboyant courtroom histrionics. After his fifth divorce, he moved onto a yacht, named Adequate Award, in Sausalito in the late 1980s. Belli accused his ex-wife, Lia, of having an affair with archbishop Desmond Tutu and of throwing one of his dogs off the Golden Gate Bridge. He was fined $1,000 for repeatedly calling her "El Trampo". During the proceedings, Belli was ejected from the courtroom after accusing the judge of sleeping with his former wife's lawyer. He was ultimately compelled to pay Lia an estimated $15 million.
According to Wikipedia, Belli “had many celebrity clients, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Errol Flynn, Chuck Berry, Muhammad Ali, The Rolling Stones, Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker, Martha Mitchell, Maureen Connolly, Lana Turner, Tony Curtis, and Mae West. During his legal career, he won over $600 million in damages for his clients. He was also the attorney for Jack Ruby, who shot Lee Harvey Oswald days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.” Belli also acted in numerous television shows and movies. He was frequently mentioned by San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, who called him “Melvin Bellicose.”
During his time here, Belli was a good citizen of Sausalito, earning mentions in this newspaper for donating Christmas lights for Viña del Mar Plaza, serving as featured speaker at the third annual “State of the City” dinner and taking part in the first annual lighted yacht parade But he is probably best remembered locally for his “Belli Flop” on Bridgeway. Here are excerpts from the story by Betty Dietz, writing in the September 23, 1988 Marin Independent Journal:
“Melvin Belli, a master of demonstration in the courtroom, proved Thursday in Sausalito that his white Rolls-Royce convertible can actually climb stairs.
“The unexpected trip up five stairs to a cement wall came after Belli fell asleep while driving to his yacht in Sausalito. He'd been on a long flight shortly before the 2 p.m. accident.
“Belli had stopped in Tokyo after attending the Olympic Games in Seoul, his spokeswoman said.
“Holding a piece of black plastic that broke off the Rolls-Royce Corniche, Belli leaned against the railing of a nearby office building shortly after the accident. The ‘King of Torts’ — known for such courtroom demonstrations as dropping a tray of handmade knives to show how many weapons are found within prison — was dapper, albeit a bit disheveled, in a black suit with red silk handkerchief in the pocket.
He had worked an hour in his San Francisco office before leaving for the 105-foot yacht anchored in Schoonmaker Harbor where he has lived since his wife, Lia, began divorce proceedings this summer.
‘I was fighting it. I figured I've got to get out of here,’ said Belli, 81. ‘I should have stayed and slept there.’
“The Rolls Was leaning on its side along Bridgeway, its left wheels on the sidewalk and the right wheels atop a four-foot wall.
“Corp. Scott Wyatt of the Sausalito police said Belli exhibited no signs of drug alcohol use. He was not cited, although the investigation is continuing, said Sgt. Don McQuarrie
“Todd Anderson of Richmond, who was two cars behind when the accident occurred, told police that Belli had been driving about 30 mph. The speed limit is 25 mph, Sausalito police said.
“Jeremy Lynch was outside his used bookstore about a half block from the collision. ‘I saw him go by. He looked kind of out of it, half asleep,’ Lynch said. ‘He was slowing down, driving real slow, like for a stop sign, which there isn't. I should have yelled to him.’
Kathy Kronenberger, a reservations manager for Tahiti Nui, a tour company next door, heard a clunking sound. ‘I looked out the window and saw the car go up the steps and smash into a pole,’ she said. She dialed 911.
“Within seconds, Belli ‘rolled out of the car and stood back, dazed,’ Kronenberger said. People ran out of the offices to make sure Belli was not hurt.” While not reported in the IJ, local legend has it that Belli’s first words to rubberneckers were: “Does anybody know a good P.I. [personal injury] attorney?” The IJ continued:
“A small crowd of gawkers gathered across the street. ‘We're just waiting to see how they get the car off the wall,’ said one woman.
"’It's the biggest thing to happen in this town in a long time," said Becky Holbrook of Sausalito. ‘If it were a Chevy, nobody would have stopped.
“The license plate on the climbing Rolls?
"Tibet" — as in the home of the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest.
Belli died of complications from pancreatic cancer at his home in San Francisco on July 9, 1996, aged 88. At the time of his death, he had three sons, three daughters, twelve grandchildren, and two dogs. He is buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Sonora, California, his birthplace.