[7][8] In 1974 Gary earned his Juris Doctor degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Gary won the case, with a jury awarding O'Keefe $500 million in punitive damages; although the case was settled afterward for $175 million, Gary's victory would eventually lead Loewen to resign from his firm, which later would be reorganized after a bankruptcy filing and be sold to a competitor, Service Corporation International.
[10][11] The Loewen funeral company case formed the basis of the 2023 movie The Burial starring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.
[12] In 2000, Gary won a $240 million verdict against Disney for stealing the concept of the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
The case stemmed from the death of Michael Johnson of Escambia County, Florida in 1996, who died from lung cancer.