Sunday, May 02, 1999
The players in Flynt trial
The defendants
Larry Flynt — Publisher of Hustler and about 30 other publications, including a computer-game guide and a magazine for skateboarding enthusiasts. He is best known for selling sexually explicit material and has been charged in several states over the years with violating obscenity laws. Born poor in eastern Kentucky, he now estimates his net worth at about $400 million.
Jimmy Flynt — Larry Flynt's younger brother and partner. He was charged along with his brother in their first obscenity case here in 1977 and is charged again this time. While his brother has remained in Los Angeles, he has handled the day-to-day operations of the Hustler store they own on Sixth Street.
The defense attorneys
H. Louis Sirkin — A Cincinnati attorney who specializes in “First Amendment” cases. He has defended hundreds of clients accused of violating obscenity statutes, ranging from video stores to dance clubs. His best-known case was his successful defense of the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati against criminal charges stemming from the display of Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs.
Paul Cambria — A lawyer based in Buffalo, N.Y. who helped defend the Flynt brothers at their first trial here 21 years ago. He has argued several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and his client list frequently includes celebrities. Most recently, he defended rock star Marilyn Manson against New Jersey officials who tried to block a concert there last year.
Alan Isaacman — A Los Angeles attorney who has represented Larry Flynt in several cases, most notably the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that pitted Mr. Flynt against the Rev. Jerry Falwell. In that case, Mr. Isaacman successfully argued for the dismissal of a ruling that had awarded Mr. Falwell damages for an unflattering satire that appeared in Hustler. His clients have included Geraldo Rivera, CBS Inc. and Rock Hudson.
The prosecutors
Thomas Longano — An assistant Hamilton County prosecutor for 26 years, Mr. Longano is one of two chiefs in the prosecutor's criminal division. He is one of the most experienced trial attorneys in the office and has been involved in many high-profile cases, including the Della Sutorius murder trial and the trials resulting from the Lucasville prison riot.
Steve Tolbert — A 20-year veteran of the county prosecutor's office and the leader of the obscenity unit. He also worked on the Sutorius and Lucasville cases as well as dozens of other major felony trials. Because of his work on obscenity cases, he has been an adviser on those issues for several years to Prosecutor Joseph Deters.
The judge
Patrick Dinkelacker — A former assistant prosecutor who began his career on the bench in Domestic Relations court. He moved to Hamilton County's Common Pleas court four years ago and has handled several major cases, including the “road rage” conviction of Tracie Alfieri. He consistently has been ranked at or near the top of the list in the Cincinnati Bar Association's annual ratings of local judges.
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