Vicki Morgan

Morgan's story received considerable print coverage and in 1985 author Gordon Basichis wrote the book Beautiful Bad Girl: The Vicki Morgan Story. In 1990, Dominick Dunne wrote a fictional portrayal of Morgan in his book, An Inconvenient Woman. The story of her life and death was the topic of Vanity Fair Confidential (Season 4, Episode 7: Murder Most Obsessive) which first aired on March 19, 2018.

The financial situation for the 30-year-old Morgan quickly turned desperate. To protect herself, she hired the famous Hollywood palimony attorney Marvin Mitchelson to file an $11 million lawsuit ($29.1 million today) for financial compensation as Bloomingdale's mistress. The pre-trial media coverage of the initial complaint revealed details of the couple's sexual relationship that grabbed headlines nationwide, causing particular embarrassment amongst Bloomingdale's friends in Washington, D.C. However, when Morgan learned that Mitchelson had dinner and a meeting with President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy – the latter of whom was friends with Betsy Bloomingdale – Morgan lost trust in Mitchelson, fired him, and hired attorney Robert Steinberg in his place.

Morgan's story is mentioned in the 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt in a courtroom scene in which Larry is asked about his source of the John DeLorean video.

On the evening of July 7, 1983, less than eleven months after Bloomingdale's death, Pancoast walked into a police station and confessed to murdering Morgan in their apartment. Police found Morgan's body, apparently beaten to death with a baseball bat. Pancoast was sentenced to 26 years-to-life in prison and died in 1991 in Chino, California, while undergoing treatment for AIDS-related illnesses.

Morgan's 1982 palimony lawsuit against Bloomingdale's estate continued on behalf of her son Todd (born c. 1969 ). She had referred to a contract in which Bloomingdale would have given her $240,000, but instead she was given $40,000. During the trial, the judge ruled the agreement unenforceable as it was for the illegal act of "sex for hire." In December 1984, a jury awarded Morgan's estate the remaining $200,000 ($492,000 today).

By 1979, Morgan had been through two more marriages and long periods of sex work, and was now a drug addict. That year she entered rehab, where she met Marvin Pancoast, a gay man who was infatuated with Morgan and her stories of the high life she led with Bloomingdale. They vowed to live together once released from rehab. Three years later, Bloomingdale was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He purportedly told Morgan that he had only two months to live and assured her she would be well cared for and never have to worry about money again.

As Bloomingdale's mistress, her social circle would include politicians, businessmen, and the wealthy playboy Bernie Cornfeld. With Bloomingdale's financial support, she lived a lavish lifestyle. In 1973, Bloomingdale's wife, Betsy, learned of Bloomingdale's affair and told him to break off the relationship. He complied and Morgan spiraled into poverty and depression.

In August 1969, whilst still 17, Morgan met 54-year-old financier Alfred S. Bloomingdale, a married multi-millionaire from the famous department store family in a restaurant in the Sunset Strip. Bloomingdale soon took Morgan as a mistress, and would have her watch as he performed BDSM on multiple sex workers. When Morgan was 18, Bloomingdale offered Lamb a large cash payment to end his marriage with Morgan. Morgan now entered a full relationship with Bloomingdale, who set her up in an apartment.

Vicki Morgan was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her mother, Constance Laney, was divorced by her father, an United States Air Force veteran, soon after Vicki was born. Her mother remarried but her new husband died when Vicki was about 9 years old. Vicki and her mother relocated to Montclair, California. At 16 Morgan became pregnant and dropped out of Chaffey High School to give birth to a son, Todd. Leaving her son with her mother, Morgan ran away from home in 1968. She found work as an usher at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. She soon married 47-year-old Earl Lamb.

Victoria Lynn "Vicki" Morgan (August 9, 1952 – July 7, 1983) was an American model who was the mistress of Alfred S. Bloomingdale, heir to the Bloomingdale's department store fortune. The details of their tumultuous relationship became publicly known after Morgan sued Bloomingdale's estate for palimony in 1982. Morgan was murdered in 1983.