WASSER, DENNIS M.

WASSER, DENNIS M. (1942– ), U.S. lawyer. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Wasser and his family moved to California, where he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a law degree from the University of Southern California. A member of the firm Wasser, Cooperman & Carter in Los Angeles, Wasser first gained fame when he represented the tennis star Billie Jean King, who was sued by her former lover, a woman, who sought property and support for the rest of her life. King and her husband won the suit, and Wasser's reputation in family law was established. Over the years, he represented a galaxy of Hollywood celebrities in divorce actions, including Steven spielberg , Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, James Woods, Jane Fonda, richard dreyfus , Lionel Richie, Jennifer Lopez and the wife of michael douglas . Wasser also successfully represented the baseball star David Justice in a "palimony" suit and negotiated on behalf of Kirk Kerkorian, who was sued for child support by a woman he lived with but whose baby he had not fathered. Wasser wrote and lectured widely on family and divorce law. (Stewart Kampel (2nd ed.)