Marvin Mitchelson (Marvin Mitchelson)

Marvin Mitchelson

Celebrity divorce attorney based in Los Angeles, California. He died at the Rehabilitation Center of Beverly Hills after a long battle with cancer. He was a successful divorce pioneer who is known as the father of palimony. His first major case was the million dollar settlement for James Mason’s former wife, Pamela. He represented Bianca Jagger and Joan Collins.  He has claimed to have practiced law in 45 of 50 states and abroad.  The Marvin v. Marvin palimony case made him a household name in the seventies.  He was representing Michelle Troia Marvin.  The case set a precedent for recognizing unmarried co-habitating partners like Michelle and Lee Marvin. Marvin Michelson even played himself in a Golden Girls episode.   He was convicted in 1993 and jailed for evading 2 million dollars taxed income.  He was forced into bankruptcy and lost his beloved Beverly Hills estate where he lived with his family and Rolls Royce collection.  He fought for 3 years to stay out of prison while undergoing treatment for heart disease, and malignant melanoma skin cancer.  He served his sentence in a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas.  He became a prison appellate lawyer and gained freedom for 3 inmates.  He also helped others to learn to read andwrite and he started prison French and opera clubs.  he left prison in 1997 and returned to law.  He worked as a consultant for other lawyers until his license was restored in 2000.   Despite being a divorce attorney, he was married to Marcella for 45 years.  He was the father of a son and is survived by his sister.  He was considered a work-aholic by his colleagues and was practicing on Sunset Boulevard in his office. (bio by: Genet)

Born

  • May, 07, 1928
  • USA

Died

  • September, 09, 2004
  • USA

Cemetery

  • Hillside Memorial Park
  • California
  • USA

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