A California attorney set to defend Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager accused of killing two men and wounding a third during a protest in Wisconsin, filed a motion to withdraw from the criminal case.
The request from Los Angeles civil lawyer John Pierce came just hours after prosecutors alleged in a court filing Thursday that his reported financial problems raised ethical concerns as well as a potential conflict of interest.
“So that it does not take Kyle’s supporters by surprise, effective immediately I am taking over all civil matters for Kyle including his future defamation claims,” Pierce wrote on Twitter Thursday afternoon.
“I will also be orchestrating all fundraising for defense costs. The terrific Mark Richards will proceed in Wisconsin.”
Richards is based in Racine and appeared in court alongside Rittenhouse on Thursday.
Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger had suggested that Pierce may use funds raised for his client’s defense to pay off his own debts. In court documents, Binger claimed that Pierce had “significant personal financial difficulties” and should not be allowed to represent Rittenhouse because “money that should be held in trust for the defendant may instead be used to repay attorney Pierce’s numerous creditors.”
Pierce and well-known defamation lawyer Lin Wood were behind the #FightBack Foundation, founded to raise money for Rittenhouse’s defense. It raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars before MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and actor Ricky Schroder helped pay the teen’s $2 million bail.
“Attorney Pierce’s personal financial difficulties raise significant ethical concerns, especially when he has close ties to a substantial yet unregulated and unreported ‘slush fund’ that is intended solely for the benefit of the defendant,” Binger wrote in reference to the foundation.
Rittenhouse is facing charges of homicide and attempted homicide for fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz on Aug. 25. The shooting happened during a night of unrest in Kenosha that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a local Black man who suffered paralyzing injuries.
With News Wire Services
