Opinion ID: 758778
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: A 47-Footer Goes Down

Text: 9 In 1983, DeGeorge was handling a law suit on behalf of a client. The suit involved a business deal potentially worth billions. According to DeGeorge, the parties opposing the suit had decided to pursue a rather unorthodox litigation strategy, i.e., they attempted to kill him. These parties had previously suggested they might in fact nail DeGeorge's kneecaps to the floor. Although DeGeorge didn't lose his kneecaps, an attempt was made that year to kill him while he and his wife were sailing off the California coast near Los Angeles. This time, DeGeorge lost a 47-foot yacht insured for $245,000. 10 According to DeGeorge, a suspicious looking fishing boat circled the yacht. A little later, he and his wife were relaxing in the state room when explosions began to rock the boat. When the explosions stopped, DeGeorge and his wife jumped in a dinghy and escaped the vessel, which sank in shark-infested waters in about half an hour. DeGeorge and his wife returned to Marina del Rey in the dinghy. They did not report the incident to any authorities, but four days later reported the loss to the vessel's insurer, Fireman's Fund. Fireman's Fund eventually paid DeGeorge $245,000, the full amount of the policy.