Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer Blog
Far from solidarity in troubled times, the attorneys for Drew Peterson seemed to turn on each other as soon as their client was convicted. Each blames the other for the loss of the case and the dispute will now begin a legal battle of its own.
The plaintiff is Joel Brodsky, formerly the lead attorney for Drew Peterson in his murder trial, although he has since resigned from the legal team. Steven Greenberg, another member of the legal team who is still representing Peterson, is one of the defendants in the case. The lawsuit is the result of a 15-page letter, which Greenberg wrote and distributed. According to the lawsuit, the letter contains “false and misleading” statements which are allegedly an attempt to defame Brodsky as revenge for Brodsky attempting to fire Greenberg from Peterson’s case.
Among other things, the letter calls Brodsky a liar and an incompetent lawyer. One section reads, “You wafted the greatest case by ignorance, obduracy and ineptitude, … Your effort to blame me is suggestive of a six-year-old changing the rules of the game when he falls behind. … You are nothing more than a bully.” The letter also accuses Brodsky of “single-handedly” losing the trial and provides an unflattering description of his leadership, saying he insisted on the other lawyers calling him “coach”.
Allegedly, Greenberg developed a grudge against Brodsky after Brodsky told him to stop appearing on national television during the trial. The lawsuit alleges that this grudge caused Greenberg “to ignore the best interest of Peterson and become irrationally fixated and obsessed with destroying Brodsky”.
According to the lawsuit, the letter put Brodsky’s law office “in a false light in the public eye” which caused him to lose profits.
Brodsky also named the Chicago Tribune, its parent Tribune Co., Tribune reporter Stacey St. Clair, AOL Patch Media Corp., and Patch editor Joseph Hosey as defendants for publishing the defamatory letter.
Greenberg called the lawsuit “frivolous” and claims not to be worried by it because the “truth is a defense”. Tribune Editor Gerould W. Kern released a written statement which said, “We stand behind our reporting and our reporters, and we intend to defend this suit vigorously.
Walter P. Maskym, a Chicago attorney representing Brodsky in the case, said he is confident that Brodsky will win the case and “that his good name will be cleared and his professional reputation restored.”
In addition to defamation, the lawsuit is asserting claims for alleged false-light invasion of privacy and violation of the Illinois Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
Our Chicago defamation, libel, cyberbullying and First Amendment attorneys concentrate in this area of the law. We have defended or prosecuted a number of defamation and libel cases, including cases representing a consumer sued by a large luxury used car dealer in federal court for hundreds of negative internet reviews and videos which resulted in substantial media coverage of the suit; one of Loyola University’s largest contributors when the head basketball coach sued him for libel after he was fired; and a lawyer who was falsely accused of committing fraud with the false allegation published to the Dean of the University of Illinois School of Law, where the lawyer attended law school and the President of the University of Illinois. One of our partners also participated in representing a high profile athlete against a well-known radio shock jock.
Our Chicago defamation attorneys defend individuals’ First Amendment and free speech rights to post on Facebook, Yelp and other websites information that criticizes businesses and addresses matters of public concern. Our Chicago Cybersquatting attorneys also represent and prosecute claims on behalf of businesses throughout the Chicago area including in Lake Forest and Vernon Hills, who have been unfairly and falsely criticized by consumers and competitors in defamatory publications in the online and offline media. We have successfully represented businesses who have been the victim of competitors setting up false rating sites and pretend consumer rating sites that are simply forums to falsely bash or business clients. We have also represented and defended consumers First Amendment and free speech rights to criticize businesses who are guilty of consumer fraud and false advertising.
Super Lawyers named Chicago and Oak Brook business trial attorneys Peter Lubin a Super Lawyer in the Categories of Class Action, Business Litigation, and Consumer Rights Litigation. Lubin Austermuehle’s Oak Brook and Chicago business trial lawyers have over a quarter of a century of experience in litigating complex class action, consumer rights, and business and commercial litigation disputes. We handle emergency business lawsuits involving injunctions, and TROS, defamation, libel, and covenant not to compete, franchise, distributor and dealer wrongful termination and trade secret lawsuits and many different kinds of business disputes involving shareholders, partnerships, closely-held businesses and employee breaches of fiduciary duty. We also assist businesses and business owners who are victims of fraud or defamatory attacks on their business and reputations.
Lubin Austermuehle’s Wheaton, Naperville, and Aurora litigation attorneys have more than two and half decades of experience helping business clients unravel the complexities of Illinois and out-of-state business laws. Our Chicago business, commercial, class-action and consumer litigation lawyers represent individuals, family businesses and enterprises of all sizes in a variety of legal disputes, including disputes among partners and shareholders as well as lawsuits between businesses and consumer rights, auto fraud, and wage claim individual and class action cases. In every case, our goal is to resolve disputes as quickly and successfully as possible, helping business clients protect their investments and get back to business as usual. From offices in Oak Brook, near Aurora and Elgin, we serve clients throughout Illinois and the Midwest.
If you are the victim of a defamatory attack on your business or a consumer who has been sued to stop you from posting criticism of a business on line at Yelp or anywhere else, contact one of our Oak Brook and Chicago defamation lawyers for a free consultation at 630-333-0333 or online by filling out our contact us form.