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Reversal Of Fortune - Inside The Von Bulow Case
Reversal of Fortune
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
48 people are currently reading
398 people want to read
About the author
Alan M. Dershowitz
144 books312 followersAlan Morton Dershowitz is an American lawyer, jurist, and political commentator. He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is known for his career as an attorney in several high-profile law cases and commentary on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
He has spent most of his career at Harvard, where, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor in its history, until Noam Elkies took the record. Dershowitz still holds the record as the youngest person to become a professor of law there.
As a criminal appellate lawyer, Dershowitz has won thirteen out of the fifteen murder and attempted murder cases he has handled. He successfully argued to overturn the conviction of Claus von Bülow for the attempted murder of Bülow's wife, Sunny. Dershowitz was the appellate advisor for the defense in the criminal trial of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
He has spent most of his career at Harvard, where, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor in its history, until Noam Elkies took the record. Dershowitz still holds the record as the youngest person to become a professor of law there.
As a criminal appellate lawyer, Dershowitz has won thirteen out of the fifteen murder and attempted murder cases he has handled. He successfully argued to overturn the conviction of Claus von Bülow for the attempted murder of Bülow's wife, Sunny. Dershowitz was the appellate advisor for the defense in the criminal trial of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 3, 2019
I recently watched the movie (Reversal of Fortune, 1990) based on this book, and read the book to see how closely the film (starring Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close) matched the movie. I was also deeply interested in the way noted criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz described the famous trial of Claus von Bulow.
I wasn't disappointed. This is a fast-moving, expertly detailed, skillfully told courtroom drama.
Interesting passages:
I wasn't disappointed. This is a fast-moving, expertly detailed, skillfully told courtroom drama.
Interesting passages:
A legal case is somewhat like a long unedited film containing thousands of frames, only a small portion of which ultimately appear on the screen as part of the finished product. The role of the legal system—police, prosecutor, defense lawyer, judge—is to edit the film for trial: to determine what is relevant for the jury to see, and what should end up on the cutting-room floor.
In a legal case, the memories of witnesses—particularly those with a stake in the outcome—tend to get better as time passes. Often their initial recollection of an event is hazy, because it’s not part of any coherent pattern of events or theory. While the theory begins to emerge, the memory begins to fit into it, losing some of the haze. As the trial approaches and the witnesses are coached and rehearsed, they tend to “remember” the event with even more clarity and less ambiguity. And eventually, what began as a hazy recollection becomes frozen into crystalline clarity. In the end, what is remembered is not even the event. It is the memory of repeating and clarifying the event through a process of enhanced certainty.
December 6, 2014
Alan Dershowitz guides us through Claus Von Bulow's "Reversal of Fortune," meaning the process by which two 1982 convictions of assault with intent to murder became two 1985 acquittals of those same charges. Dershowitz was brought in as appellate counsel right after Von Bulow was convicted, so that's where the story begins. Although it was before my time, this case sounds like it received as much publicity as the OJ trial, and was discussed just as much--although there doesn't appear to have been as much vitriol in the commentary surrounding it: both cases presented a murder-mystery involving a rich defendant, a dead (or dying) ex (or wife), and love/jealousy, but this one didn't require Americans to talk about racial issues or police misconduct.
Anyways, here Dershowitz is a fun writer to read, both because of his first-hand knowledge and long-standing criminal defense practice, meaning he gets into the nitty-gritty of this case but also takes opportunities to comment on how issues he encountered are typical (or not) in our criminal justice system. There are a few interesting wrinkles in this case.
First is the immense wealth of the alleged victims' family--their hiring of a lawyer and private investigator to aid the state brought up some interesting legal issues; in fact one of the bases for reversing the initial conviction was the alleged victim's lawyer's refusal to provide the defense with his summaries of the contents of initial interviews with many of the important witnesses: these notes ended up revealing inconsistencies that the defense in the second trial hammered home. Second is the considerable resources of the defense--Dershowitz discusses this at the end of the book, but it provides a constant source of anxiety for the reader: sure, here the defendant's team of student research assistants, scouring the witnesses' statements for inconsistencies; his ability to call and fly across the country respected medical experts to rebut the state's case; and his retaining Dershowitz himself all helped to introduce significant doubt into the state's case (leading to acquittal), but how many defendants can marshal anywhere near those type of resources (without which Von Bulow would have been convicted)? Putting that to the side, the doggedness of the defense team is impressive: Dershowitz has the very helpful ability of not assuming anything a witness (especially one the government puts on) is true, and he uses his Harvard resources to employ (relatively speaking) cheap labor to investigate their claims: he pits small teams of student researchers "against" each other on each of the major issues in the trial, meaning he has them attempting to arrive at opposing conclusions, this way his own biases don't influence their work (i.e.,, they aren't trying to gather evidence to support his desired conclusion, or more accurately, they are, but opposing conclusions are both being represented).
Finally, Dershowitz's clever legal strategies are on display, most prominently his framing of the appeal in terms likely to evoke a belief that the defendant might be innocent, and then filing a motion for remand "altering this Court to the existence of newly discovered evidence . . . to afford this Court maximum flexibility in the ordering of proceedings in this case." (123) He had to file the latter motion because (as he well knows) he can't argue on appeal in state court that the trial court was wrong, and use new evidence to prove that the trial court was wrong--he first has to present that new evidence to the trial court, and ask for a new trial. But that time was past, and he was already at the state supreme court, so he sneakily showed the supreme court that he had new evidence (while not violating any procedural rules, or inappropriately including it directly in his actual appellate brief) so that, while not technically relevant to their decision, the seed was planted in their heads that a new trial might produce a different result.
This book is a fascinating read both because of its true-crime excitement and (for those who enjoy some law) due to the behind-the-scenes look at how an appellate case proceeds (including the subsequent re-trial)--to the latter point, Deshowitz's inclusion of discussions among the lawyers re: various tactical issues is especially valuable.
Anyways, here Dershowitz is a fun writer to read, both because of his first-hand knowledge and long-standing criminal defense practice, meaning he gets into the nitty-gritty of this case but also takes opportunities to comment on how issues he encountered are typical (or not) in our criminal justice system. There are a few interesting wrinkles in this case.
First is the immense wealth of the alleged victims' family--their hiring of a lawyer and private investigator to aid the state brought up some interesting legal issues; in fact one of the bases for reversing the initial conviction was the alleged victim's lawyer's refusal to provide the defense with his summaries of the contents of initial interviews with many of the important witnesses: these notes ended up revealing inconsistencies that the defense in the second trial hammered home. Second is the considerable resources of the defense--Dershowitz discusses this at the end of the book, but it provides a constant source of anxiety for the reader: sure, here the defendant's team of student research assistants, scouring the witnesses' statements for inconsistencies; his ability to call and fly across the country respected medical experts to rebut the state's case; and his retaining Dershowitz himself all helped to introduce significant doubt into the state's case (leading to acquittal), but how many defendants can marshal anywhere near those type of resources (without which Von Bulow would have been convicted)? Putting that to the side, the doggedness of the defense team is impressive: Dershowitz has the very helpful ability of not assuming anything a witness (especially one the government puts on) is true, and he uses his Harvard resources to employ (relatively speaking) cheap labor to investigate their claims: he pits small teams of student researchers "against" each other on each of the major issues in the trial, meaning he has them attempting to arrive at opposing conclusions, this way his own biases don't influence their work (i.e.,, they aren't trying to gather evidence to support his desired conclusion, or more accurately, they are, but opposing conclusions are both being represented).
Finally, Dershowitz's clever legal strategies are on display, most prominently his framing of the appeal in terms likely to evoke a belief that the defendant might be innocent, and then filing a motion for remand "altering this Court to the existence of newly discovered evidence . . . to afford this Court maximum flexibility in the ordering of proceedings in this case." (123) He had to file the latter motion because (as he well knows) he can't argue on appeal in state court that the trial court was wrong, and use new evidence to prove that the trial court was wrong--he first has to present that new evidence to the trial court, and ask for a new trial. But that time was past, and he was already at the state supreme court, so he sneakily showed the supreme court that he had new evidence (while not violating any procedural rules, or inappropriately including it directly in his actual appellate brief) so that, while not technically relevant to their decision, the seed was planted in their heads that a new trial might produce a different result.
This book is a fascinating read both because of its true-crime excitement and (for those who enjoy some law) due to the behind-the-scenes look at how an appellate case proceeds (including the subsequent re-trial)--to the latter point, Deshowitz's inclusion of discussions among the lawyers re: various tactical issues is especially valuable.
June 25, 2021
Part of my reading this book is due to Dershowitz being a household name, in my generation for the Trump impeachment defense and Epstein ties. For clarity, if the accusations regarding relationships to Epstein or criminal acts committed are true, these would be a heinous acts and criminal action is needed.
I had originally purchased this book (used) as a joke. I was expecting a self indulgent narcissistic story, based off what I have been exposed to in media. I figured - what can this supposed criminal have to say.
However, I was very surprised as Dershowitz presented a great lens into the American criminal justice system.
I could not put this book down. This book shows the level of detail needed to mount a criminal defense, the challenges of putting the case together, and the impact the locals and state have. It’s amazing to me that over 30 years later, the American story is still shockingly similar. A defendant is found guilty or innocent by the media, the justice system is substantially one sided, and it takes lots of money to defend yourself.
There is a great reflection in the one of the last chapters, highlighting a wealthy clients ability to defend themselves should not the argument to lessen resources but rather an argument to increase resources to those who cannot afford them. Fast forward to today’s time and we’re still in a system, if not an exaggerated version of one, that pushes plea deals and puts defendants through the ringer. It’s difficult for anyone without means to have a chance at justice if wrongly accused.
I do hope the truth regarding Dershowitz’s Epstein relationships and actions continue to come out and justice be served as needed. Whatever the outcome, I would still recommend reading this, if not for the drama, for the well thought out assessment of the legal system as it stood in the 1980s vs today.
I had originally purchased this book (used) as a joke. I was expecting a self indulgent narcissistic story, based off what I have been exposed to in media. I figured - what can this supposed criminal have to say.
However, I was very surprised as Dershowitz presented a great lens into the American criminal justice system.
I could not put this book down. This book shows the level of detail needed to mount a criminal defense, the challenges of putting the case together, and the impact the locals and state have. It’s amazing to me that over 30 years later, the American story is still shockingly similar. A defendant is found guilty or innocent by the media, the justice system is substantially one sided, and it takes lots of money to defend yourself.
There is a great reflection in the one of the last chapters, highlighting a wealthy clients ability to defend themselves should not the argument to lessen resources but rather an argument to increase resources to those who cannot afford them. Fast forward to today’s time and we’re still in a system, if not an exaggerated version of one, that pushes plea deals and puts defendants through the ringer. It’s difficult for anyone without means to have a chance at justice if wrongly accused.
I do hope the truth regarding Dershowitz’s Epstein relationships and actions continue to come out and justice be served as needed. Whatever the outcome, I would still recommend reading this, if not for the drama, for the well thought out assessment of the legal system as it stood in the 1980s vs today.
January 8, 2023
Normally my tastes in law tend to lean on the sordid criminal side so I figured I'd take a chance to see what it's like after the crime and see how the law operates. In this book, Dershowitz recounts the trial of Von Bulow, which was a high profile case that involved socialites, lying drug dealers and a pretty crooked legal system. Dershowitz' book reminded me an awful lot like Making Movies pulling back the curtain to reveal the inner workings of pretty complicated procedures. Mainly because Dershowitz was very matter of fact and never dull or dry about the ins and outs of pursuing justice. Reading about how exhaustive investigative research provided the missing pieces to the puzzle was oddly thrilling. And even more compelling was how shrewd the scheming needed to be in order to pursue the truth. Dershowitz almost constantly reminds the reader about how on the up and up he kept everything, despite his multiple critics. Having finished, I don't think I can argue my way out of a jaywalking ticket or anything, but I learned a lot and was entertained. Edjutainment at its finest.
September 19, 2014
I decided to read this book after seeing the film adaptation starring Jeremy Irons. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Dershowitz writes well and is good at explaining the intricacies of the legal system for laypeople. And the progress of the appeal and second trial does make for a fairly interesting story. However, Dershowitz comes across fairly full of himself (for example, he's constantly plugging the book he had just published at the time of the trail--THE BEST DEFENSE--and talking about all the important people he knows). And no one involved in the trial is particularly sympathetic either. I'm actually somewhat interested to read THE BEST DEFENSE, because I'm curious about why Dershowitz would choose to defend people he knows are guilty (he mentions in this book that this subject is discussed in the earlier volume). My dislike for Dershowitz's methods may actually have contributed to some of what I disliked about this book, so we'll see if I like his writing more after reading his explanation.
May 7, 2021
Super fascinating.
May 31, 2021
Brilliant insight into the Claus von Bulow murder trial and the American justice system in general. Absolutely fascinating!
March 12, 2022
A Fascinating case and a detailed read. We may never know what really happened. I do believe he was innocent, but neglectful.
June 19, 2018
Ich hatte Anfang der 90er den Film "Die Affäre der Sunny von B." im Fernsehen gesehen, und war sehr fasziniert von diesem Fall, da er ja auch auf wahren Begebenheiten beruhte. Als ich etwas später in der Bibliothek dieses Buch von Alan Dershowitz entdeckte, musste ich das einfach auch lesen. Auf Grundlage dieses Buches ist ja wohl auch der Film mit Jeremy Irons und Glenn Close entstanden.
Alan Dershowitz, ein bekannter und erfolgreicher Jurist in den USA, wurde von Claus von Bülow nach dessen 1. Verurteilung wegen versuchten Mordes an seiner Frau Sunny engagiert sich um das Revisionsverfahren zu kümmern. Und tatsächlich konnte Dershowitz ausreichend berechtigte Zweifel an den ursprünglichen Beweisen vorbringen, so dass Claus von Bülow ein zweites Verfahren erhielt, und am Ende freigesprochen wurde.
In diesem Buch beschreibt er den Fall aus seiner Sicht, und zwar nicht in Form eines Romans sondern schon mit Fokus auf die Verhandlungen vor Gericht und die Suche nach Beweisen bzw. dem Entkräften der bereits vorgebrachten Beweise. Dennoch erfährt der Leser natürlich auch die Vorgeschichte - aber, da Dershowitz natürlich der Anwalt von Claus von Bülow war, natürlich eher aus dessen Sicht.
Als ich Jahre später mal in einem Zeitungsarchiv gearbeitet habe, habe ich dort viele aufregende Ereignisse der letzten 100 Jahre nachgeschlagen, weil ich neugierig war was die Zeitungen zum damaligen Zeitpunkt darüber berichtet haben. Auch den Bülow-Fall habe ich recherchiert, und eine interessante längere Reportage (im Spiegel oder Stern o.ä.) gefunden. Natürlich konnten die auch nur wiedergeben, was in den Gerichtsverhandlungen vorgebracht wurde.
Aber was wirklich geschehen ist im Dezember 1980, als Sunny von B. zu Hause bewusstlos aufgefunden wurde und schließlich in ein Koma fiel, aus dem sie nie wieder erwachte und schließlich 28 Jahre später starb, das wird wohl Claus von Bülow mit ins Grab nehmen.
Alan Dershowitz, ein bekannter und erfolgreicher Jurist in den USA, wurde von Claus von Bülow nach dessen 1. Verurteilung wegen versuchten Mordes an seiner Frau Sunny engagiert sich um das Revisionsverfahren zu kümmern. Und tatsächlich konnte Dershowitz ausreichend berechtigte Zweifel an den ursprünglichen Beweisen vorbringen, so dass Claus von Bülow ein zweites Verfahren erhielt, und am Ende freigesprochen wurde.
In diesem Buch beschreibt er den Fall aus seiner Sicht, und zwar nicht in Form eines Romans sondern schon mit Fokus auf die Verhandlungen vor Gericht und die Suche nach Beweisen bzw. dem Entkräften der bereits vorgebrachten Beweise. Dennoch erfährt der Leser natürlich auch die Vorgeschichte - aber, da Dershowitz natürlich der Anwalt von Claus von Bülow war, natürlich eher aus dessen Sicht.
Als ich Jahre später mal in einem Zeitungsarchiv gearbeitet habe, habe ich dort viele aufregende Ereignisse der letzten 100 Jahre nachgeschlagen, weil ich neugierig war was die Zeitungen zum damaligen Zeitpunkt darüber berichtet haben. Auch den Bülow-Fall habe ich recherchiert, und eine interessante längere Reportage (im Spiegel oder Stern o.ä.) gefunden. Natürlich konnten die auch nur wiedergeben, was in den Gerichtsverhandlungen vorgebracht wurde.
Aber was wirklich geschehen ist im Dezember 1980, als Sunny von B. zu Hause bewusstlos aufgefunden wurde und schließlich in ein Koma fiel, aus dem sie nie wieder erwachte und schließlich 28 Jahre später starb, das wird wohl Claus von Bülow mit ins Grab nehmen.
June 28, 2019
This was an excellent read
April 30, 2020
Will review after I read the book
November 18, 2018
Ich bin dieses Buch betreffend sehr unentschlossen. Es ist definitiv anstrengend zu lesen. Der Schreibstil (Anwalt) ist nicht großartig, wobei dies natürlich der Übersetzung geschuldet sein mag. Der Storyaufbau gelinde gesagt ungünstig, aber es ging hierbei natürlich nicht darum einen spannenden Krimi zu schreiben - macht der Aufbau es also nicht umso realistischer? Ist es nicht viel interessanter mal eine andere, realistischere Perspektive einzunehmen? Mag sein. Das macht das Buch aber nicht unbedingt gut. Vieles davon hätte anders aufbereitet etwas mehr hergegeben - aber vielleicht sehen das interessierte Anwälte ja anders.
January 28, 2023
This was a great book about in helping you to see that things are not always as they seem. I really appreciated the way the author took you inside each of the trials, to give you an up-front, firsthand account of the inner-workings of a trial. At times dry and tedious, but, to me, it felt that lended to the author’s honesty the truth of the story, and fairness to all involved parties. Overall, this was a fascinating and insightful book that I thoroughly enjoyed, maybe even more-so because of how much I enjoy true crime. Absolutely worth the read, particularly to help us see that the “facts” are not always as clear-cut as we might think when it comes to someone’s guilt or innocence.
Read
February 2, 2021I read this so long ago, it's hard to evaluate it.
August 5, 2023
Super interesting behind the scenes of the trial. I always thought Claus was guilty but he definitely was not!
January 19, 2024
If you like legal processes, books based on a true story and playing detective a little bit, this is for you. There is also a movie with Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close ♥️ also amazing.
October 9, 2018
The stories inside this true account tossed with being an amazing understanding of the law, the frailties of the judicial system, makes it a fascinating read for those that like the law. Me. Dershowitz’s pedigree as the youngest tenured Harvard LW Professor, and subsequent expert commentator make it relevant still, after 30 years.
July 23, 2016
I much enjoyed Dershowitz's writing talent and economy with words and information. Ex. He only goes into biographical info for key principle players and witnesses, not all the lawyers, judges, and jurors.
He talks to the reader as an intelligent person; the focus is on legal precedent, rules of evidence, and appeals cases--all in considerable depth. He goes into the pluses, minuses, even semi-corruption in some states' legal systems. Ergo, the reading level is fairly high, at least above-average high school. Those more interested in sex and scandal will be frustrated. The Dr Feelgood drug scene is actually more lurid. If one wants to see everything nicely tied up at the end, forget it. This is real life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When a lawyer has the facts on his side, he should pound in the facts; when a lawyer has the law on his side, he should pound in the law; and when he has neither the facts or the law on his side, he should pound on the table." - law lore
"A lawyer who charges $50,000 for a criminal case . . . $5,000 is for the preparation and the trail work . . . and $45,000 for his expertise in advising his client whether to take the stand."
"This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr
He talks to the reader as an intelligent person; the focus is on legal precedent, rules of evidence, and appeals cases--all in considerable depth. He goes into the pluses, minuses, even semi-corruption in some states' legal systems. Ergo, the reading level is fairly high, at least above-average high school. Those more interested in sex and scandal will be frustrated. The Dr Feelgood drug scene is actually more lurid. If one wants to see everything nicely tied up at the end, forget it. This is real life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When a lawyer has the facts on his side, he should pound in the facts; when a lawyer has the law on his side, he should pound in the law; and when he has neither the facts or the law on his side, he should pound on the table." - law lore
"A lawyer who charges $50,000 for a criminal case . . . $5,000 is for the preparation and the trail work . . . and $45,000 for his expertise in advising his client whether to take the stand."
"This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice." - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr
August 12, 2013
What could have been a dry legal treatise on the workings of an appellate case becomes fascinating by a cast of characters who would be at home in a soap opera (and one was a former soap opera actress), the inner workings of the legal system in Rhode Island (the "Rhode Island shuffle" as it is referred to several times in the book) and a convicted man who was probably one of the most hated men in the northeast, if not the entire country. I came into this book (which I'd first read several years ago after seeing the movie) and found my preconceived notions about the case turned - I started out thinking he was guilty, although had been denied a fair trial because crucial evidence was withheld, to coming around to believing he was innocent and that Sunny had done something to herself, either accidentally or on purpose. But this isn't a "Hurrah, we just freed an innocent man" type of story - Claus himself is too unlikeable for that. But even an unlikeable man may not be guilty of a crime and deserves a full and vigorous defense.
Want to read
April 4, 2019Synopsis: Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor, successfully defended Claus von Bulow on two charges of attempted murder on his wife Sunny.
September 29, 2015
Interesantísimo, tanto por el caso en sí como por la estupenda aproximación al sistema legal estadounidense que presenta Dershowitz. Se haya visto o no la película basada en este libro, es una lectura que atrapa y sorprende a cada paso, aunque se conozca el desenlace. Otra nueva demostración de cómo Dershowitz no sólo es un gran abogado, sino un estupendo escritor que sabe exponer aun el tema más árido y legalmente complejo con claridad y amenidad.
May 22, 2016
I enjoyed the movie far more than the book because I had many questions after seeing the movie. I think the movie was far more informative than the book. The legal complexities wore down the details and I wasn't able to get many of my questions completely answered. I have generally found books give greater insight and depth but in this case I was wrong.
May 7, 2016
3.75 starts. Interesting book. Well written, easy to follow accounting of the Von Bulow case.
page 51: At his mention of civil liberties, I recalled the cliche about a conservative being a liberal who's been mugged. What immediately occurred to me was that a liberal is often a conservative who's been indicted--or, in this case, convicted.
page 51: At his mention of civil liberties, I recalled the cliche about a conservative being a liberal who's been mugged. What immediately occurred to me was that a liberal is often a conservative who's been indicted--or, in this case, convicted.
July 21, 2015
Dershowitz will give you the full break down in his books, and a fair dose of his opinion along with it. Probably worth 3 1/2 stars in all fairness, it's been quite awhile since I read it however. That was one sad case and a seriously screwed up family.
Want to read
June 2, 2009Recommended by Miryana!
Read
August 10, 2011June 29 2006
February 18, 2012
interesting story poorly told
May 21, 2014
Very interesting, esp. if you legal books like me. 3.5 stars.
July 12, 2016
Read this book as a selection from my book club, I read this book having no prior knowledge of the case. I enjoyed it, the way one would enjoy reading a tell all tabloid piece.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews