Roy Black (1945–2025) was one of Miami's most prominent criminal defense attorneys and a founding partner of Black Srebnick Kornspan & Stumpf PA. He taught trial advocacy at the University of Miami School of Law for more than 50 years and was inducted into the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame. Black was a key member of Jeffrey Epstein's legal "dream team" during the 2006 Florida criminal investigation.
He played a central role in negotiations with Palm Beach County prosecutors that resulted in Epstein pleading guilty to two state charges of solicitation of prostitution — including one count involving a minor — rather than facing federal sex trafficking charges that could have carried life imprisonment. The deal, later branded the "sweetheart plea," drew intense public scrutiny after the Miami Herald's 2018 investigative series and was a catalyst for renewed federal prosecution in 2019. Beyond the Epstein case, Black was renowned for high-profile acquittals and defenses including William Kennedy Smith (1991 rape trial), Rush Limbaugh (prescription drug investigation), and Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis.
He was a legal commentator on CNN, NBC, and other networks. Black died on July 21, 2025, at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, at the age of 80. His passing was widely noted in legal circles and in coverage of the ongoing Epstein document releases.