Contact: Steve Levesque, Chrissy Sutphin
LUCK Media & Marketing, Inc. (818) 232-4175
info@luckmedia.com, www.luckmedia.com

KEVIN HART’S DIVORCE ATTORNEY DEBRA OPRI, A HARD-HITTING TV LEGAL ANALYST AND AUTHOR OF ‘THE OPRI OPINION BLOG’ ON DEBRAOPRI.COM,
REMAINS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

* * *

The Go-To Family Law Attorney – Who Has Recently Been Quoted on Major News Outlets about Pauley Perrette’s Divorce, Bethenny Frankel, Kim Kardashian, Diane Lane/Josh Brolin, Dan Marino, and the Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes Divorce to Name a Few– Has Handled Many High-Profile Cases Including Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, James Brown, David Hasselhoff and David Caruso

 
At the top of her game, Debra Opri is one of the most powerful and legendary high-profile female attorneys and legal analysts today.

Opri’s current client, actor/comedian, Kevin Hart, would agree. Opri –who unveiled ’The Opri Opinion Blog’ this year on her website www.debraopri.com– resolved Hart’s divorce after a contentious in-court battle, with the parties finally settling their divorce amicably, thanks to Opri’s work on behalf of her client.

This divorce, one of the more combative in Hollywood in recent days, exemplified Opri’s fierceness and case-winning strategies in the courtroom on Kevin Hart’s behalf, along with her ability to keep the media at a distance, which is something most celebrities want (and what Opri delivers).

While Opri will not discuss her clients or their cases, public court records show that, thanks to Opri, Kevin Hart glided through his divorce, winning almost every fight against his ex-wife, Torrei Hart. Kevin Hart, the actor/comedian – whose album for Laugh At My Pain, a 2011 stand-up comedy documentary film about his career, recently went five times platinum, and now enjoys movie and television success, including his new BET “Hollywood Husbands” and is guest hosting on SNL (March 2, 2013). 

Kevin Hart is only one of the celebrity cases Opri has handled in her many years as an attorney. Opri’s roster of celebrity cases includes the Anna Nicole Smith paternity case where Opri battled Smith from the United States to the Bahamas until Smith’s untimely death turned the paternity proceedings into a battle for DNA, custody, and burial issues; Michael Jackson’s parents, Katherine and Joe Jackson during the late singer’s 2004-2005 molestation trial, and handling media attacks against their son; Jermaine Jackson’s divorce; the David and Pamela Hasselhoff custody battle; the David Caruso paternity action, and, of course, James Brown’s sexual harassment trial. This was Opri’s first celebrity trial, which ended in a win for Debra Opri and the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, thanks to Opri’s fierce courtroom personality.

Beyond the courtroom, and in the media world, Opri is a go-to legal analyst on all the top stories of the day. Opri has been a regular on air analyst on such networks, as CNN, ABC, NBC, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, HLN and CBS to name a few, and continues to be a go-to legal source for the current high profile divorces, and high profile cases in the news both nationally and internationally. Opri, who founded her family-based law practice in the late ‘80s, is the family lawyer the media seeks for big breaking Hollywood family related cases.

Debra Opri has also appeared on CNN affiliates including CNN International, commenting on the divorce filing between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.  She continues to weigh in and lend her commentary to the Kim Kardashian divorce as well as Bethenny Frankel’s (aka the ‘Skinnygirl Cocktails tycoon’) marital breakup and divorce filing. Having met Frankel during one of her stints at CNN in New York, Opri was quick to assess Frankel. “Frankel has an aura of success. She’s a winner. And she keeps moving forward,” Opri has observed. “Bethenny Frankel, in my opinion, needs a partner to keep up. Evidently, Hoppy couldn’t.”

Opri’s resume is endless: in addition to her many cases, Opri has provided in-depth commentary on Michael Jackson over the years, culminating with news of his death, the Conrad Murray trial, the personal and career travails of Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen, Casey Anthony’s trial and aftermath, Dan Marino’s secret paternity story, and of course, the ongoing Kim Kardashian/ Kris Humphries divorce/annulment battle royale.

As Opri sees it, there will forever be a messy breakup and a legal proceeding….enough to keep her on her game for years.

As a litigator in the world of divorce, Opri has not changed here either. She is still legendary in how she handles each high profile case, from dealing with the media attention on her client to the inside workings of the courtroom. Opri is still one of the only regular media analysts who continues to litigate her own cases. “While I always seek first to avoid confrontation via a settlement that’s fair to both sides, I always make sure I give my clients everything they deserve,” she says. “I don’t quit. When there’s a battle, I’m going to be up for it. I’m going to fight. And I’m going to be fierce, until the battle is won, or the other side surrenders. Clients know this, and they know I do it at an affordable cost. And guess what…even celebrities want their money’s worth. I’ve dealt with enough of them to know this.”

“Celebrities and those who work as I do with high profile media personalities can very easily be accused of things that are not true and which may stay out there thanks to the internet,” says Opri. “But it’s part of the game of what happens in the celebrity world – whether you’re the celebrity or the celebrity’s lawyer.”

Opri continues, “Everyone understands that there are downsides to the ‘media’ and you may be a potential target, whether it’s you or your client. And that’s okay. I can take it. But always remember, eventually the truth comes out. And to those celebrities who try to remain out of the media when it comes to their own divorces, or legal matters, Opri is equally ‘zealous.’ Most of my celebrity clients don’t want the media sitting in the courtroom or in the court hallway with their matters. They don’t want their personal problems in their marriage out there. Period. And there are always ways to deal with this problem. The client’s wishes are always first and foremost. If the client says no press, that’s the rule we go by.”

Opri can be followed on Twitter @debraopri and Facebook.

###