Manes began representing victims of police misconduct in the 1960s, nearly three decades before the videotaped beating of motorist Rodney G. King by Los Angeles police officers threw a harsh spotlight on the issue of police brutality.
"He was a voice in the wind," said Mark Rosenbaum, legal director of the
Manes, a prodigious litigator who tried more than 400 cases during his career, was "probably one of the finest" advocates for police-abuse victims in Southern California, said retired California Court of Appeal Justice Robert R. Devich, who presided over a 1995 police brutality trial that resulted in a record-setting $23-million award to a group of Samoan Americans represented by Manes and two colleagues.
"He really took his position to heart and went out for his client. He could be contentious at times, but always with a lot of respect to the other lawyers up against him and . . . to the court. I had a lot of respect for him," said Devich, who had been a
The attorney, who looked like
According to colleagues, Manes (pronounced MAY-ness) routinely took on cases with little expectation of success or remuneration, particularly in the early years when few people believed that police officers could be guilty of misconduct.
"He did it so that they [police] would know someone was watching," said attorney Garo Mardirosian, who regarded Manes as his mentor.
Mardirosian joined Manes in representing the group of Samoan Americans who had been beaten by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies at a bridal shower in
Manes was born in Chicago on July 7, 1924. Although Jewish, he attended an Episcopalian high school -- St. John's Military Academy in Delafield, Wis. After graduating, he joined the Army as a second lieutenant and served in Europe during
After the war, he earned a bachelor's degree at
Manes worked on a number of cases with the ACLU, representing Japanese Americans who had lost property as a result of federal actions after the
Manes is survived by two daughters, Mehgan and Nikol; three sons, Macabee, Ellery and Ari; a sister, Audrey Benesch; and eight grandchildren.
A memorial program will be held at 3 p.m. July 26 at the Workmen's Circle Cultural Center, 1525 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles.
elaine.woo@latimes.com
