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Law School Professor/Former Biglaw Partner Dies After Ancient Tree Falls On Home

He's remembered as the 'rock' of his family.

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(Image via Getty)

Sad news from Encino, California, where an adjunct professor at USC Gould School of Law and Pepperdine Law, Dennis Franks, passed away Sunday night after an ancient tree — estimated as at least 500 years old and weighing 100,000 pounds — fell on his home. Franks previously worked in-house at Twentieth Century Fox and The Walt Disney Corporation. Before moving in-house, Franks was a partner at the Biglaw firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

His son said of the family’s loss:

“He’s the rock of our family,” Kevin Franks said. “I want him remembered as like a caretaker — he took care of everyone. We’re going to love him and miss him and think about him forever.”

Franks died while reading in his “man cave,” his “happy place” converted from his son’s old bedroom. Also in the house at the time of the incident were Franks’s wife Maureen, daughter Becca, and dog Parker. They were on the first floor of the house and able to get out safely.

The ancient tree that fell on Franks’s home was protected by regulation and removal requires approval from the LA County planners. Kevin Franks said the family paid for maintenance of the tree, working with an arborist and using chains to “keep stuff from falling.”

Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Cody Weireter indicated how unusual the incident is:

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“I’ve never experienced anything like this … You’re looking at well over 100,000 pounds of a tree falling onto a home in the middle of the night,” Weireter said.

“No wind or rain … obviously unexpected, absolutely tragic tonight,” Weireter said.

Though neighbors said the tree was leaning as much as 30 degrees in recent days.

Our thoughts go out to Franks’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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