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Former Drew Peterson Attorney Suing Patch

An attorney who represented Drew Peterson has filed a lawsuit against Patch and the Tribune.

An attorney who represented convicted killer Drew Peterson is suing Patch over its coverage of the case.

Joel Brodsky represented Peterson for about five years and left his defense team in October 2012. Brodsky left the case after Peterson, 59, was convicted of killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio. Peterson faces up to 60 years in prison for the 2004 killing. He is seeking a new trial and a two-day hearing on the request is set to start Feb. 19.

Brodsky's lawsuit names Aol Patch, Patch Media Corporation, Patch Local Editor Joseph Hosey, Tribune Co., and Tribune reporter Stacy St. Clair. A copy of the lawsuit is attached to this post.

The lawsuit also names attorney Steven A. Greenberg, who worked with Brodsky on the Peterson case. The lawsuit alleges that Greenberg distributed a letter to members of the press – including St. Clair – that contained "false and misleading" information regarding Brodsky.

The lawsuit states that Patch's coverage contained "false and misleading" information. The lawsuit references Patch Local Editor Joe Hosey's 2008 book Fatal Vows: The Tragic Wives of Drew Peterson, which was later made into the Lifetime movie Drew Peterson: Untouchable starring Rob Lowe. 

The lawsuit states that Hosey's coverage for Patch was motivated by a desire to hype the book and film and that he practiced "yellow journalism."

Karen Kurowski McHugh February 8, 2013 at 12:41 am
And here I thought that 15 minutes was done and over. Bummer. At least Roe and Roeper will have more to talk about.
Tina February 8, 2013 at 12:49 am
Brodsky must be really desperate! Blame everyone but himself? Is he going to also sue Lifetime, Nancy Grace, Maybe the Today show and every media outlet across the whole US?? He is a poor excuse for a man. I hope it gets thrown out as a frivolous lawsuit. He made himself and Drew a huge media spectacle and NOW he wants to go after the people who were just doing their jobs reporting on it?? What a clown. Now wonder he stayed with Drew so long...."Birds of a Feather". SCUM!
Art Kraus February 8, 2013 at 02:34 am
Pro Streeter ...... Really???? So you are defending a scumbag attorney over Joe Hosey? At least Joe is concerned about our community and what is going on in it. Drew Peterson and Brodsky are cut from he same stone and they should be sitting next to each other in county!!
BTW. What is your real name anyway???? Nothing more cowardly then making comments online and not having the guts to put your name behind it!!!!!
anonymous February 8, 2013 at 04:12 am
Awesome-hope he takes Hosey and Propaganda Patch to the cleaners. Yellow journalism would be a step up for Hosey. Pro streeter is spot on.
anonymous February 8, 2013 at 04:14 am
Actually- with Hosey's ethics I'm suprised he didn't write this article.
Kristine Neumann February 8, 2013 at 04:23 am
Tina, not only is he a poor excuse of a man, he's a poor excuse of a lawyer. His whole defense was a circus. Remember them with their sunglasses? What a joke they all were.
anonymous February 8, 2013 at 05:48 am
.
Rozeeta February 8, 2013 at 12:25 pm
REALLY? Wasn't Brodsky's whole defense based on LIES? The baseless lies about 4th wife cheating on him, etc. Drew needs to sack up and tell the truth, for once in his useless life. Brodsky and Peterson are both scum.
ellen folkerts February 8, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Sometimes you gotta take matters into your own hands...just saying....
Jeffrey Boetto February 8, 2013 at 12:47 pm
Well well well, look who wants to bite the media hand that he fed! What a shocker. An attorney that grew a conscious? Get the #%^ out of here. How do you say Case Dismissed?!? Brodsky, you want to add everyone & their brother to your failure to win a case PERIOD. You blew it by calling your sketchy witness that backfired on you. A guilty jag bag got locked up thankfully due to your ineptness. The Will County area is a safer & better place due to your misgivings. Lick your wounds, and crawl back to your den with your sunglasses & cigar and count your money! No one feels sorry or bad for you, other than the next defendant who will face Drew's Law of hearsay! Nice work champ.
Watchful Eye February 8, 2013 at 01:34 pm
So here you are pro streeter, reading and whining. You have proof of profit and gain, of course? Did Stacy St. Clair also damage Brodsky's reputation (might I remind you, Brodsky had no reputation or notoriety before he latched onto Peterson and paraded him around all of the media outlets)? He's being accused of using his client for self gain. All without the help of AOL/Patch, Joe Hosey, The Chicago Tribune, Stacy St. Clair.
"Couldn't hack it with the Herald News..." So you consider the Herald News above the AOL/Patch news outlet and not worthy of your time? Yet, here you are. You also, of course, have reputable knowledge to bolster the accuracy of your comment "he has damaged the patch...."? You remind me of Brodsky, actually. You throw out baseless, useless, worthless accusations and remarks, without an ounce of legitimacy. You remind me ALOT of him.
Watchful Eye February 8, 2013 at 01:42 pm
Art Kraus - totally agree with your post.
Pro streeter is probably very angry that Brodsky was not mentioned, portrayed, talked about or considered in the Lifetime Movie. Aren't most of us thankful for that? In other words, "Brodsky who?" Oh, and pro streeter - do the research. Brodsky owned a bar called Addiction, which failed miserably, and used his client as a bargaining tool on radio shows with Geoff Pinkus and others to promote his bar. His chicken wings were the best in town, according to Peterson. Why don't you waste your time posting on Brodsky's facebook page and ask him why he used his now convicted client as a pawn for HIS own profit and gain, and quit pretending to think anyone with an ounce of sense blames Joe Hosey for any of this?
Watchful Eye February 8, 2013 at 01:43 pm
Inhiheels? Your fangs are showing.
rich February 8, 2013 at 02:32 pm
Joe Hosey is doing a great job. Ignore the crybabies.
Infamous Steve February 8, 2013 at 03:26 pm
I have something he can have.....DEEZ NUTZ! Two lawsuits for the Patch....must be doing something right if people wanna sue you.
anonymous February 8, 2013 at 03:35 pm
Joe does a great job of rehashing police reports. Journalism today consists of doing just enough to cling to your paycheck so you don't join all of the private industry shmucks in Obama's long unemployment lines. Joe could maybe get a Village of Shorewood job-they seem to hire the mediocre of society.
John Schrock February 8, 2013 at 04:30 pm
That is the most bizzare pleading I have ever seen in my 23 year career as an attorney. Besides having obvious flaws for failing to allege with particularity what was defamatory in the Greenberg Memo and Hosey stories (a requirement under Illinois law) it has many other fatal legal and factual flaws.
1. Drew Peterson, as do all clients, can fire Brodsky as his atorney at any time for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all. 2. Brodsky can try to blame Greenberg all day long but at the end of the day, it was Brodsky, not Greenberg, who called Harry Smith to the stand and questioned him in open court. 3. Any papers filed in a pleading in a court case are priveleged and Brodsky can not use them as a basis for a defamation lawsuit. 4. Brodsky cannot complain about a "smear" campaign lauched against him when he was always trying to gain as much media publicity as possible for himself. 5. Greenberg, the media, the public, and myself are all entitled to express our opinion that Brodsksy was an incompetent attorney who lost the Drew Peterson case.
Watchful Eye February 8, 2013 at 04:45 pm
Thanks for the professional insight, Mr. Schrock. I will enjoy seeing these "flaws" become part of the defendants' responses, and seeing Brodsky handed his head back to him. And that of Attorney Maksym, who seems to drift in and out of reality himself.
Ted February 8, 2013 at 04:47 pm
Well said, John.
Barb Scheff February 8, 2013 at 05:05 pm
This is such bull crap. Joe Hosey works very hard at getting us the facts. I sat in that courthouse one or two rows in front of Joe most everyday of the Peterson trial. I NEVER, NOT ONCE HEARD OR READ ONE FALSE STATEMENT THAT JOE WROTE. And lets remember, Drew gave Hosey an exclusive interview or more. If Stev e was so bad, Drew had many chances to fire him. He had a dozen attorneys representing him. Lets get Drew sentenced and be done with this.
Jeff ruby February 8, 2013 at 05:10 pm
Wait till he reads my book Joe.
Watchful Eye February 8, 2013 at 05:20 pm
It's kind of pathetic, in a sad kind of way. Brodsky's law practice has probably dried up (due to his own actions, not anyone else's), he's the laughing stock of most lawyers, he's a vindictive sue-crazy man who uses the most unorthodox ways and methods he can conjure up to threaten and bully anyone who gets in his face, and he's pretty close to being a mere memory of a bad lawyer. This "lawsuit" nonsense is the only way he can spit and spew his rhetoric before he goes down. It's fitting and well deserved, IMO, that he's going to get his butt kicked by the very legal system he is trying to use for his own benefit. He's a cocky, arrogant, media-craving joke of a lawyer. He reaped what he sowed.
That being said, I have no use for the lawyer who's the target of Brodky's current rage. Greenberg could have laid low and let Brodsky self-destruct on his own; instead, he plays the same kind of game and is just as much a head case as Brodsky. I just think he might be better as a lawyer, but not as a man.
no thanks February 8, 2013 at 05:51 pm
anything to get a little attention. Kindergarten tactics.
Hugh February 9, 2013 at 12:22 am
Well put John. The guy stuck his fat ugly face in every camera that would have him. And now i would imagine he's a laughing stock amongst lawyers.
And to top it off------- for some odd reason, i stumbled across the Mancow show on the U, this morning and this Polish Putz was on the "show",mugging it up for the camera. Any real lawyer knows Brodsky is a joke and makes the whole proffession look bad. I'm sure we can look forward to Brodsky representing any scum who can't find a real lawyer to take their case. GEE, i wounder if one of the (4) strangulation killers from Hickory St has retained him yet
Kathy Fergie February 9, 2013 at 11:23 pm
What a moron.
gg February 10, 2013 at 05:30 pm
ohhh, booo hoooo .... this wiener-head with glasses is just ticked because of he being made to look like the idiot he really is, and the paper printed it for all to see. Clam up and move away, atty's like you are legends in their own minds.
gg February 10, 2013 at 07:16 pm
This bozo is obviously trying to make his name known be it NEGATIVE or positive. He's an idiot and just ticked off he caught his lunch. Go make some YouTube Videos now with those ridiculous glasses you never remove, perhaps it's because you have nothing but deceitful LYING EYES!!!! Grow up already buddy!
gunsforever February 11, 2013 at 10:35 pm
No one wants your nuts pal, trust me. I know where they have been!
gunsforever February 11, 2013 at 10:36 pm
Yep, I have said before as well, Joe is about as as good as a reporter, as infamous steve is a fireman!
gunsforever February 11, 2013 at 10:37 pm
all lawyers are whale crap! I mean ALL

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Patricia Fort-Lewis June 17, 2013 at 06:18 pm
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You need to put the correct phone number. You have 8 numbers listed instead of 7.
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Opps sorry... It's (815)600-9489
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