Defense attorney Steve Greenberg is giving his former boss until Tuesday afternoon to issue a public retraction and apology for what he said are "defamatory" statements meant to deflect responsibility for their client's conviction on first-degree murder charges.
In his 15-page letter shared with the media, the former Drew Peterson attorney lashed out at Joel Brodsky, accusing him of leading the legal team like a dictator and fabricating lies to make himself looking better.
Greenberg was fired just days after Peterson was convicted of in the drowning death of his third wife, Kathleen Savio.
Greenberg wrote that Brodsky "made one of the greatest mistakes in the history of jurisprudence" when he put Savio's divorce attorney, Harry Smith, on the stand. It was that testimony that jurors later said convinced them to return a guilty verdict.
"You wafted the greatest case, by ignorance, obduracy, and ineptitude. Your effort to blame me is suggestive of a six-year-old child changing the rules of the game when he falls behind, before taking his ball home, loudly declaring that his opponent cheated instead of appreciating he was just out of his league," Greenberg wrote.
In his letter, Greenberg suggests that the entire legal team, and even Judge Edward Burmila, tried to deter Brodsky from putting Smith on the stand. Greenberg called the move "suicidal to the defense."
Brodsky wouldn't comment Monday if an apology were forthcoming but later issued a statement:
"I am working and fighting for all of my clients, including Drew Peterson. I am focused on Mr. Peterson's appeal and getting the verdict reversed, and that’s all that is important. The client’s best interest must come first."
Greenberg later responded with a follow-up statement:
"I too am focused on whats best for my clients, and my former clients, including Mr. Peterson. I am also focused on preserving the the integrity of my profession, which I consider to be a noble profession, and in defending myself against baseless false accusations, designed solely to deflect accountability from Mr. Brodsky. This could have been handled professionally. Instead he chose to try to "throw me under the bus", rather than accepting responsibility for his own actions. I will not allow him to make me his fall guy! This is not about Harry Smith, or Joel's other failed strategies. It is about my skill and integrity vs. his."
| Drew Peterson Murder Trial |
