LeAnn Rimes’ Lawsuit: Kim Smiley’s Lawyer Wants Off The Case
LeAnn Rimes lawsuit against teacher Kim Smiley took an unusual twist this week. Smiley’s attorney, Kenneth Freundlich, wants off the case and has petitioned the court to release him from duties to the client. Freundlich reportedly tried to get Smiley to sign the necessary form to release him from representing her, but the teacher allegedly refused.
Kenneth Freundlich petitioned the Los Angeles Superior Court to release him from the Leann Rimes lawsuit. The judge granted Freundlich’s request to drop Kim Smiley as a client. It is reportedly uncommon for an attorney to go to such extreme measures to part ways with a client in a lawsuit case. If the parties involved cannot agree on a game plan, a mutually agreed upon split is allegedly a more frequent course of action.
A Radar Online insider source claims that the relationship between teacher Kim Smiley and Kenneth Freundlich broke down rather quickly when working on the LeAnn Rimes’ lawsuit. The source also maintains that it was merely a matter of time until Freundlich made his way towards the door.
Kim Smiley’s attorney met with the judge privately to explain his reasons for wanting removed from the LeAnn Rimes’ lawsuit case. Before Kenneth Freundlich’s meeting with the Los Angeles judge, he filed irreconcilable differences documents with the court. The teacher’s attorney reportedly claimed that he and Smiley had a “complete breakdown” and he could no longer represent her against LeAnn Rimes in the lawsuit case.
Eddie Cibrian’s wife is suing Kim Smiley over claims stemming from a phone conversation. Rimes maintains that the phone call with the teacher was illegally recorded. Many close to the singer have voiced support for LeAnn, claiming she had been a victim of online bullying.
Kim Smiley supporters believe that Rimes behaved in a rude manner on Twitter. Supporters of the school teacher also reportedly feel that the lawsuit is unfair due to Smiley’s “limited financial means” to fight the claims in court.
Kenneth Freundlich is remaining largely quiet about his strong desire to distance himself from Kim Smiley and the LeAnn Rimes’ lawsuit. The Los Angeles attorney did state that after Smiley approached him he represented her “for a while” and then he was done with the matter. The teacher has reportedly hired Stephen White to represent her in he Rimes’ lawsuit.
A case management conference I the LeAnn Rimes’ lawsuit is scheduled for April 9. Rumors that Freundlich wanted to dump Kim Smiley as a client because he saw issues with her case against the singer are rapidly circulating online but remain unconfirmed.
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