by John DeVault III
Harris Dittmar (or Ditt as he was known to all), my partner, mentor and friend passed away Sept. 13, 2009 after a lengthy illness due to complications from heart and lung problems.
Ditt graduated from the University of Florida College of Law in February of 1952 with high honors and served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review. He began his legal practice with Chester and Nathan Bedell, where he continued to practice until he retired in 1996.
Ditt was one of Florida’s outstanding trial lawyers. The thoroughness of his preparation, capacity to remember details and effectively use them in cross-examination were unparalleled. Charlie Pillans and I marveled about his ability to prepare for trial in complex and document-intensive cases in a relatively short amount of time. He would say: “I could try World War II (in which he served in the infantry), if you give me two weeks to get ready.”
In 1974, he represented then-sitting U.S. Senator Edward Gurney, a member of the Watergate Investigating Committee and long supporter of President Nixon, in lengthy federal criminal trials. Senator Gurney, the first sitting U.S. Senator indicted in more than 50 years, was charged with seven counts of bribery and related offenses. During the first trial, which lasted six months, he was found not guilty on five of the counts and a jury was unable to reach a verdict on two counts. Later, the government retried him on those two counts on which he was also found not guilty.
Within weeks of the first Gurney trial, Ditt began another six month trial in federal court in Ocala representing Leesburg businessman, F. Browne Gregg, in a civil fraud case against U.S. Industries, Inc. Following a second trial in that case, he obtained one of the largest commercial verdicts at that time at more than $38 million.
Among the many lawyers he trained were First District Court of Appeal Judges Robert P. Smith Jr. (retired); E. Earle Zehmer (deceased); Peter D. Webster; and U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan.
Ditt served as a member of the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar from 1972 to 1980; a delegate to The American Bar Association House of Delegates 1981-83, and was a Fellow and Regent of The American College of Trial Lawyers.