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Tributes to Be Paid to Livesay at Ceremony
Prosecutor, Now Deceased, Was Chief Deputy Under Two District Attorneys
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A celebration of the life of long-time prosecutor Curt Livesay, who served as second-in-command at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office under two administrations, will be held in Glendale on Dec. 1.
It will take place at the Glen Arden Social Club starting at 6 p.m.
Livesay died Oct. 19. He was 82.
Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, one of the organizers of the event, remarked:
“Curt Livesay was one of the finest human beings ever to serve in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He was both John Van de Kamp’s and my chief deputy. Curt’s always calm demeanor and thoughtful counsel were major contributing factors to whatever success John and I achieved during our terms in office.”
Livesay served as chief deputy under Van de Kamp from 1979 until 1983 when that district attorney left office to assume the position to which he had been elected as state attorney general. From 1984-91, Livesay was assistant district attorney, the No. Three position in the office.
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CURT LIVESAY 1942-2022 |
Capital Cases
During the period from 1979 to 1991, it was Livesay who made the calls as to the cases in which the death penalty would be sought. He set forth reasons for his decisions meticulously in memos
An Oct. 19 email from the Association of Deputy District Attorneys (“ADDA”) to its members, advising of Livesay’s death, reflected on those memos, saying:
“Livesay took the unusual move of inviting defense attorneys to argue against capital punishment before making his decision. Defense attorneys would be notified of Livesay’s decision in a document which came to be known in the legal lexicon as a ‘Livesay Letter.’ From 1979 until 1991, Livesay returned decisions in over 1,300 cases, including those of serial killers Richard Ramirez, known as ‘The Night Stalker,’ and William Bonin, the so-called ‘Freeway Killer.’ ”
It added:
“Defense attorneys knew that Livesay would evaluate all of the evidence fairly and reach a decision that even if they did not agree with it, was reached on sound principles and a thorough review of the defendant’s history.”
Retired Court of Appeal Justice Elizabeth Baron yesterday recalled that Livesay, in undertaking that responsibility, made “truly difficult decisions” to which he devoted “great care.”
She added that “Curt was greatly admired by all who knew him including members of the defense bar.”
Temporary Retirement
In 1991, Livesay retired from the District Attorney’s Office, taking on some criminal defense work and serving as an expert witness and a consultant to corporate and government executives. But Cooley, after becoming district attorney on Dec. 4, 2000, soon called on Livesay to return to his old post as chief deputy, and Livesay obliged.
Resuming duties in early 2001, he remained until 2006. With the two stints combined, his tenure as chief deputy is said to have been the longest in the history of the office.
Returning to private practice in 2006, he became of counsel to the Long Beach law firm of Trutanich & Mitchell. A partner in that firm was Carmen Trutanich who was elected Los Angeles city attorney in 2009.
Trutanich enlisted Livesay to become his chief deputy and, in that role, he provided guidance.
Philibosian Comments
Robert H. Philibosian of Sheppard Mullin, who was district attorney in 1983-84, remarked:
“Curt embodied the mission of the District Attorney’s Office. His wisdom and gracious manner were an inspiration to all who worked with him. With all of his achievements he was a genuine down to earth person.
“I recall once when I called him at his Lone Star Ranch after his retirement, he answered his mobile phone and told me that he ‘was out mending fence.’ ”
It was at that family ranch in Oklahoma, in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, that Livesay, a Native American in the Choctaw tribe, was born on July 13, 1940. In a 1990 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he described himself as “just a country boy from the hills of eastern Oklahoma.”
He remained in “The Sooner State” until he was 18, foraying to Los Angeles to attend undergraduate school at UCLA, attaining a degree in business administration, then earning his law degree there. It was during his studies as a Bruin that he met a classmate who would become his wife for 30 years.
Bika Livesay, a professor of humanities at Harbor College, died in 1995.
57-Year Attorney
Livesay was admitted to the State Bar of California on June 7, 1965, maintaining active status for the balance of his life.
He joined the District Attorney’s Office in 1965 and went on to serve in all of the office’s appointive positions.
An internal memo to deputies and staff issued by the Office of District Attorney on Nov. 8 says:
“Curt was an icon of intellect, insight, and fairness throughout his remarkable life, and his work.”
Surviving him are his second wife, Barbara “Sunny” Reeves-Livesay, two children by his first marriage, daughter Elle Livesay and son Anthony Livesay, the son’s wife, Shalu Livesay, and two granddaughters, two nephews, and a niece.
Copyright 2022, Metropolitan News Company