Cheney Mason: No regrets about Casey Anthony trial - CFNEWS 13

Cheney Mason: No regrets about Casey Anthony trial

By Jackie Brockington, Anchor/Reporter
Last Updated: Saturday, June 28, 2014, 3:01 PM


WINTER PARK -- He's almost 71 years old and has now been practicing law for 43 years.

And while one other case — Nelson Serrano — was high profile, none matched the attention of the Casey Anthony trial.

Cheney Mason served as co-counsel to lead attorney Jose Baez for the woman many referred to as "the most hated woman in America."

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I entered his law office in downtown Winter Park on what was to become a stormy afternoon in Central Florida.

During our interview, thunder roared as if to distract our conversation, but Mason was not distracted. He laughed often and made no apologies for his stance on some serious topics.

He admitted the Anthony trial had changed his life in some respects. There were the threats: "Kooks threatening to kill me, my wife and my grandchildren because I had the audacity to defend her and win," Mason said.

There were anxious moments, but as he explained to me, if he says he's going to do something, he does.

"I told Mr. Baez when we talked and I agreed to be part of the team — I'll be the last man standing," he said.

He stood tall, but he says the trial did contribute to him having a stroke on Veterans Day almost three years ago. Now, he has a personal trainer and works out several days a week.

Retirement should be on his mind, but it isn't.

Mason said he tried it to live the retired life at 65, but it failed miserably.

Mason and his wife like to travel, he speaks three languages "in acceptable conversation," and they enjoy cooking.

If you would like to really get his dander up, ask him about how he feels about some of his colleagues, the judicial system and why he fought against cameras in the courtroom. As a sought-after speaker, he has occasion to speak to young people hoping to become attorneys. His advice to them will surprise you, as will how he would like to be remembered.

You'll always know where you stand with Cheney Mason, and he makes no apologies or excuses for why he thinks the way he does. He says he has no regrets about the Casey Anthony trial except that he spent many tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket for the pro bono case incurring over a million dollars in billable hours from which he collected not one dime.

"Life goes on," he said. He now comes into the office at the crack of 10 a.m. instead of 6:30 am.

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