Investigators try to unravel mystery of lawyer’s death in Palos Verdes Peninsula

Detectives were trying Tuesday to sort out the mysterious death of a prominent Los Angeles attorney, who was found fatally shot in the driveway of his home in an affluent Palos Verdes Peninsula city.

Jeffrey Tidus, 53, an attorney with Baute & Tidus, a boutique firm specializing in civil litigation in downtown Los Angeles, was found outside his home in Rolling Hills Estates about 8:30 p.m. Monday. He died Tuesday morning at a hospital.

Tidus was a former board member of the State Bar of California with a number of high-profile former clients, including New Century Financial, Isuzu Motors, California Federal Savings and Tokai Bank.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials called the death highly suspicious but stopped short of classifying it as a homicide, saying more investigation was needed. Tidus was shot once, and officials would not say whether they had recovered a weapon. Detectives said they have not ruled out suicide.

On Tuesday afternoon, deputies scoured the neighborhood, searching in gardens and under bushes for clues.

Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Dolson said authorities would be looking into Tidus’ cases to determine whether his death might be linked to his work. He also tried to assure residents that the attorney’s death appears not to have been random.

“I don’t think the residents of this neighborhood need to be worried,” Dolson said.

Neighbors said Tidus’ wife told them that he had gone outside to get a laptop computer from his car and didn’t return. They said they saw the laptop on the lawn, with blood visible on the driveway.

On Sugarhill Drive, a street of upscale ranch houses, Tidus was described as a friendly person who ran marathons and often walked his dog in the area.

“This is startling us here,” said Harry Petru, 71.

“I’ve never heard of anyone being shot in my entire 19 years here,” added Jane Hughes, a neighbor.

Because of the high winds Monday night, few neighbors said they heard the gunshot.

According to his law firm’s website, Tidus has an active practice as an arbitrator and mediator over a wide range of civil disputes. Colleagues expressed shock over his death.

“He is a very dedicated family man . . . a by-the-book attorney known forhis work on the state bar ethics panel,” said attorney Brian Hennigan, a close friend for more than a decade. “I was in total shock. We only ran together Sunday. He’s an avid long-distance runner. We’ve run a few marathons together.”

Hennigan said that Tidus lived for his family and that he was planning on running the next L.A. Marathon.

Hennigan and others described Tidus as an experienced litigator who took 4 to 5 cases to trial each year. But they could not recall anything in his casework that would place him in danger.

“Being in trial was just part of daily life for him.” Hennigan said, adding that his practice did not include “the kind of case that would be dangerous for an attorney’s personal safety.”

David Parker, an attorney who gave Tidus his first job out of UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, said Tidus seemed to balance his work as an attorney with his responsibilities as a father and husband while having time for charitable causes.

Holiday decorations -- an inflatable snowman and flamingo -- adorn the front lawn of the property, which was taped off as sheriff’s investigators combed the scene. Neighbors said that Tidus’ wife owned a toy store in Redondo Beach.

A neighbor who declined to give her name called the attorney “the best” neighbor, and said the couple had lived there about 12 years and have a daughter who attends Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.

richard.winton@latimes.com

jeff.gottlieb@latimes.com