Former Judge A. A. Scott Dies at 82

A.A. Scott, who when he retired in 1972 had been a Los Angeles Superior Court and Municipal Court judge for 40 years, died Wednesday in St. Vincent’s Hospital at age 82.

Scott, who helped ensure the contract rights of juvenile film stars and under-age jockeys during his long career, was the son of Joseph Scott, one of the city’s best-known lawyers.

A statue of his father stands in front of the courthouse in Los Angeles.

Alfonso Aloysius Scott attended colleges in England and then Notre Dame University, practicing in Arizona for two years before joining his father’s firm in 1926.

He was appointed to the Municipal bench in 1932 and to Superior Court in 1937.

One of his most famous cases involved the “Murder Inc.” trial of mobster Bugsy Siegel. During the trial, Scott received a tip that he was to be killed and ordered his courtroom cleared. A search of spectators turned up eight guns.

He oversaw the approval of the film contract of then-child star Patty Duke, among others, and was a devoted protector of apprentice jockeys, establishing rules for their treatment and trust funds for their earnings. He called them “my boys.”

Scott is survived by his wife, Marion; two sons, Joseph Scott II and Rev. Al Scott, one brother, two sisters, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at Cathedral Chapel in Los Angeles, with Cardinal Timothy Manning presiding.