Crime & Safety

Former Drew Peterson Lawyer Drops Lawsuit Against Patch

The lawsuit filed by attorney Joel Brodsky named Patch editor Joe Hosey, the Chicago Tribune and another former Peterson lawyer among others.

One of Drew Peterson’s former attorneys dropped a lawsuit Friday filed against Patch, the Chicago Tribune and several other people and entities.

The lawsuit filed in Feb. 2013 accused Patch editor Joe Hosey of an “intentional, scurrilous media attack” on Brodsky, while also describing Hosey as a “bully” and “yellow journalist.”

The withdrawn accusations were in reference to articles Hosey wrote for Patch about Peterson’s murder trial in the death of Kathleen Savio, as well as his book Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Drew Peterson, which was made into the Lifetime movie “Drew Peterson: Untouchable” starring Rob Lowe.

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Brodsky cited ongoing health issues faced by his chosen attorney as the reason he is withdrawing the lawsuit, though Brodsky has one year to re-file the lawsuit and said his attorney should recover before then, according to a court document.

Brodsky also named another former Peterson attorney, Steven Greenberg, in the suit, accusing him of writing a letter and a memo that described him as a liar and an “ineffective, incompetent and inept lawyer,” according to the suit.

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Brodsky claimed that Greenberg sent the copies of the memo and letter to the media, including Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair who was also named in the suit, and did so because Greenberg had “a motive to lie and defame and discredit” him after Peterson was convicted of murder.

Read the full lawsuit above.


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