Drew Peterson Loses Another Lawyer

Last week wife-killer Drew Peterson fired a lawyer. This week one quit on him.

Defense attorney Darryl Goldberg's exit from the Peterson defense team became official during a brief Tuesday morning hearing.

Peterson attorney Joel Brodsky—the only one of Peterson's four remaining lawyers to show up for the hearing—tendered Goldberg's motion to withdraw to Judge Edward Burmila.

Brodsky slipped out a back door after the hearing and fled down the stairs. A courthouse source said Brodsky told her he wanted to make his getaway without having to answer questions from the media.

Reached by phone after the hearing, Goldberg declined to discuss his break from the Peterson defense team.

Along with Brodsky, husband and wife attorneys Joseph and Lisa Lopez remain on the team, as does Goldberg's father-in-law, Ralph Meczyk. Meczyk said last week he will see the case through sentencing, which is slated for Nov. 26.

Brodsky asked Judge Burmila during the hearing to push the Nov. 26 sentencing date back and to extend the deadline for him to argue for a new trial. Brodsky said there are "new issues"  and that "there's been some juggling lately that's been taking a lot of time."

Brodsky has spent some of his time penning a lengthy rant on Facebook attacking former Peterson attorney Steve Greenberg. Greenberg was fired from the case last week. He responded with a scathing, 15-page, footnoted letter ripping Brodsky's character, credentials and professional abilities.

In the letter, Greenberg demanded an apology from Brodsky and the retraction of his earlier statement. Failing that, Greenberg threatened to have his own lawyer take up the matter.

Goldberg was not the first attorney to quit Peterson's case following the ex-cop's arrest in May 2009 for murdering his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Joliet lawyer George Lenard and Michigan attorney Andrew Abood jumped ship before the case made it to trial. They were followed by Brodsky's former law partner, Reem Odeh.

All three blamed their departure on Brodsky.