what lawyer defended richard jewell in the atlanta bombing

by Lenore Kiehn III Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 7 min read

Lin Wood

Was Richard Jewell a target of the Atlanta bombing investigation?

Dec 12, 2019 · In a thread on Twitter on Thursday night, Lin Wood, the prominent defamation lawyer who represented Jewell in lawsuits against The Journal-Constitution and other media organizations, joined the...

Who is Richard Jewell and what happened to him?

Dec 27, 2019 · In Clint Eastwood's movie "Richard Jewell," Watson Bryant is the lone lawyer fighting for his client, accused bomber Richard Jewell. By Gina Tron Digital Original

Why did Richard Jewell drop his lawsuit against Piedmont?

Dec 16, 2019 · Jewell was cleared as a suspect by the FBI 88 days after the bombing. Lin Wood, a defamation lawyer who represented Jewell in lawsuits filed against The Journal-Constitution and other media outlets for defamation, spoke out against the movie’s portrayal of Scruggs. "I handled Richard Jewell's case against AJC for 16 years,” he tweeted. "By the time the case ended, …

Who is attorney Watson Bryant in'Richard Jewell'?

Who played Richard Jewell's lawyer?

Sam RockwellIn June, Sam Rockwell was cast as the lawyer, and Paul Walter Hauser as Jewell.

Did Richard Jewell get any money from his lawsuits?

In December 1996, NBC negotiated a settlement with Jewell for a reported $500,000. CNN and ABC settled, too, as did Piedmont College, which Jewell had sued for allegedly supplying false information.

Who cleared Richard Jewell?

In the early hours of July 27, 1996, he spotted a suspicious backpack under a bench in the crowded park. Jewell acted quickly, and with the help of a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent, cleared the crowd away from the explosive device. Ten minutes later, it detonated and two people died.Feb 13, 2020

How did Richard Jewell make his money?

From his major job as an officer, he has amassed a sizable fortune. Jewell has served in law enforcement in a variety of capacities, mostly as a policeman in Pendergrass, Georgia. Following his death, he served as a correctional officer in Meriwether County, Georgia. He also made college addresses.Nov 10, 2021

Did Richard Jewell ever get an apology?

The FBI denied a CBS report Thursday night that the agency has found no evidence linking Richard Jewell to the Olympic Park Bombing and plans an unprecedented public apology.

Who is Kathy Scruggs?

AJC ace Kathy Scruggs broke the story that made Richard Jewell a household name. It also started her downward spiral. A crowd gathers on July 30, 1996, in Centennial Olympic Park during a memorial service for the victims of the bomb explosion.

How long did it take to clear Richard Jewell?

It had been nine months since the Justice Department cleared Jewell of any involvement. Still, the constant media attention he received at the height of the investigation had turned him into a public figure. Children asked for autographs.Jul 22, 2020

Who is Jewell's lawyer?

Well, what differs from reality is the movie’s portrayal of Bryant as Jewell’s one and only lawyer. Jewell actually had several lawyers. In fact, he had an entire team. In addition to Bryant, he had a legal team including Lin Wood, Wayne Grant, Jack Martin, Richard Rackleff, and Watson's brother Bruce, according to Slate.

When was Jewell exonerated?

Jewell was formally exonerated in 2005, two years before his death, when the real bomber Eric Rudolph was convicted. Editor's note: This story has been modified to reflect that Wood and Grant joined Jewell's legal team the day before a press conference was held to announce that Jewell passed a polygraph test.

How long did it take for Jewell to be cleared?

He's consistently loyal to him and in the end, his tenacity pays off as Jewell is cleared as a possible suspect after 88 days of intense scrutiny.

When is Richard Jewell screening?

Watson Bryant Jr. attends the "Richard Jewell" Atlanta Screening at Rialto Center of the Arts on December 10, 2019. Photo: Getty Images.

Who played Watson Bryant in the movie?

As the FBI pegs him as a possible lone bomber, Jewell reaches out to his previous employer Watson Bryant (played by Sam Rockwell), who by this point is only working as a real estate lawyer. He’d never represented an alleged murderer, let alone someone accused of a domestic terror attack that killed two people and injured another 111.

Did Bryant and Wood attend Jewell's funeral?

Both Wood and Bryant attended Jewell's funeral. Bryant spoke and Wood was asked to give the eulogy, according to Wood. "It was the hardest public statement that I ever made," Wood told Oxygen.com. He called Jewell "a man that I loved and was dedicated to for 16 years. He had a big impact on my life and career.".

What did Jewell do before the bombing?

He alerted law enforcement and helped evacuate the area before the bomb exploded, probably saving many people from injury or death. Initially hailed by the media as a hero, Jewell was soon considered a suspect by the FBI and local law enforcement based on scientific profiling.

Why did Richard Jewell sue the Atlanta Journal-Constitution?

Jewell sued the Atlanta Journal-Constitution because, according to Jewell, the paper's headline ("FBI suspects 'hero' guard may have planted bomb") "pretty much started the whirlwind". In one article, the Atlanta Journal compared Richard Jewell's case to that of serial killer Wayne Williams.

Why did Jewell place a rose at the Olympic Park?

Jewell was chosen in keeping with the parade's theme of "Unsung Heroes". On each anniversary of the bombing until his illness and eventual death , he would privately place a rose at the Centennial Olympic Park scene where spectator Alice Hawthorne died.

Why did Jewell and other security guards begin clearing the immediate area?

During a Jack Mack and the Heart Attack performance, Jewell and other security guards began clearing the immediate area so that a bomb squad could investigate the suspicious package.

What is Richard Jewell's legacy?

In recent years, Jewell's heroic legacy has been the subject of popular culture, including the 2019 film Richard Jewell, and the drama anthology series Manhunt.

Where was Richard Jewell born?

Jewell was born Richard White in Danville, Virginia, the son of Bobi, an insurance claims coordinator, and Robert Earl White, who worked for Chevrolet. Richard's birth-parents divorced when he was four. When his mother later married John Jewell, an insurance executive, his stepfather adopted him.

Who was the woman that Jewell married?

Jewell married Dana Jewell in 1998; they remained married until his death.

When did Jewell's lawsuit against the AJC get dismissed?

Jewell’s lawsuit against the AJC was dismissed in 2011 after the Georgia Court of Appeals concluded the articles they published were true at the time. Scruggs died in 2001 at the age of 42 from an overdose of prescription pain pills, according to Poytner.

How did Jewell die?

Jewell died in 2007 at the age of 44. He reportedly had been suffering from health complications stemming from diabetes, the New York Times reported. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously blasted the FBI sex-exchange plot line.

Who plays Kathy Scruggs?

Olive Wilde as Kathy Scruggs Photo: Warner Bros. One of the lawyers who represented the man at the center of Clint Eastwood’s new movie “Richard Jewell” has blasted the film’s depiction of a female journalist. Before the film’s Friday debut, it had already been criticized for its vampy portrayal of Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy ...

Was the FBI agent given a fake name?

Furthermore, a National Public Radio movie review points out that the FBI agent played by Jon Hamm was given a fake name while Scruggs’ real name was kept. Oxygen.com reached out to Warner Bros. for comment on the controversy but they did not immediately respond with a comment.

Was Richard Jewell cleared of the FBI?

Jewell was cleared as a suspect by the FBI 88 days after the bombing . Lin Wood, a defamation lawyer who represented Jewell in lawsuits filed against The Journal-Constitution and other media outlets for defamation, spoke out against the movie’s portrayal of Scruggs. "I handled Richard Jewell's case against AJC for 16 years,” he tweeted.

Overview

Olympic bombing accusation

Centennial Olympic Park was designed as the "town square" of the Olympics, and thousands of spectators had gathered for a late concert and merrymaking. Sometime after midnight, July 27, 1996, Eric Robert Rudolph, a terrorist who would later bomb a lesbian nightclub and two abortion clinics, planted a green backpack containing a fragmentation-laden pipe bomb under a bench. Jewell was working as a security guard for the event. He discovered the bag and alerted Georgia …

Early life

Jewell was born Richard White in Danville, Virginia, the son of Bobi, an insurance claims coordinator, and Robert Earl White, who worked for Chevrolet. Richard's birth parents divorced when he was four. When his mother later married John Jewell, an insurance executive, his stepfather adopted him.

Subsequent life, career and public appearances

Jewell worked in various law enforcement jobs, including as a police officer in Pendergrass, Georgia. He worked as a deputy sheriff in Meriwether County, Georgia, until his death. He also gave speeches at colleges. On July 30, 1997, Jewell testified before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives in which he called for an independent investigation into methods used by FBI agents during their investigation of him. He appeared in Michael Moore's 1997 film The Big One. …

Libel cases

After he was dropped as a suspect, Jewell filed libel suits against the FBI, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CNN, the New York Post, and Piedmont College.
Jewell sued the Atlanta Journal-Constitution because, according to Jewell, the paper's headline ("FBI suspects 'hero' guard may have planted bomb") "pretty much started the whirlwind". In one article, the Journal-Constitution compared Jewell's case to that of serial killer Wayne Williams.

Media portrayals

Richard Jewell, a biographical drama film, was released in the United States on December 13, 2019. The film was directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. It was written by Billy Ray, based on the 1997 article "American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell," by Marie Brenner, and the book The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in th…

Death

Jewell had been diagnosed with diabetes in February 2007 and suffered kidney failure and other medical problems related to his diagnosis in the following months. His wife, Dana, found him dead on the floor of their bedroom when she came home from work on August 29, 2007; he was 44. An autopsy found the cause of death to be severe heart disease with diabetes and related complications as a contributing factor.