Ron’s attorney withdrawing from the case is a very big deal. Paul Gattone is not a high profile attorney but he looks like he knows his way around a courtroom. He most likely took the case on a contingency basis. That means he isn’t paid anything up front but collects a percentage of any recovery from the counterclaim that CJP raped and attacked JP. If JP and RB don’t collect than the attorney doesn’t get paid and attorneys (obviously) hate that. Some cases come together while others fall apart. If I’m representing someone on a contingency basis and the case falls apart I withdraw ASAP.
Gattone didn’t just withdraw; he accused his clients of lying about the evidence they had and refusing to cooperate. What this means is that RB and JP will have a really rough time getting new counsel. Everyone in the Pima County legal community knows about the case – it’s high profile - and gossips about it. (How do I know this? Because all courthouses are like this. Attorneys are the worst gossips you’ve ever seen). The Defendants will never get any attorney to take this on a contingency basis.
Josh Pastner is still very popular in Arizona. No high profile attorney will touch this case without a monstrous retainer. Otherwise it’s just not worth the aggravation of getting in bed with 2 crazy people. If he walked into my office I would demand a $50,000.00 non- refundable retainer, charge him $500 an hour and demand a retainer agreement that once the balance goes under $25,000.00 he must immediately replenish it to $50K or I am allowed to automatically withdraw. Most attorneys would demand at least a 100K retainer. If he wants to pursue the counterclaim to verdict it will cost him several hundred thousand dollars in attorney fees, along with the very real possibility that he'll be paying CJP's attorney fees as well.
CJP has Miracle Whips and JP by the short hairs. If I was representing CJP I would demand an apology under oath along with payment of my attorney fees and an airtight agreement with liquidated damages mandating that he doesn’t come near me or my family or make any further allegations. (Liquidated damages specify a sum certain for each violation of the agreement).
The independent investigation, although not admissible in court, totally changed the national narrative about the case. The attorneys’ withdrawal- and the nasty way they did it – further seals their fate. RB and JP are rapidly running out of options.