An agreement reached by an attorney for #fightback and an attorney for Kyle Rittenhouse was approved today by Kenosha Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder. According to court records, the checks were mailed out today. Lawyer Lyn Wood of #fightback will receive $925,000. Actor and conservative activist Ricky Schroeder will get $150,000 and the remaining $925,000 will be paid to Rittenhouse attorney Mark Richards. Richards is entitled to pay defense-related bills out of the money and the rest will go to Rittenhouse himself. Richards would not tell the media how much the 19-year-old will get. The $2,000,000 was raised mostly by #fightback, but a portion was raised by Rittenhouse’s mother Wendy. The bond was posted by Kyle’s former attorney, John Pierce. The money, however came from a trust account. Money in a trust account is not subject to intercept for debts. An attorney appeared in court today to argue that the entire $2M should be paid to a Mariel Johnson, a co-trustee of the patent and trademark hedge fund trust. The judge rejected this request and ordered the money to be disbursed as agreed by the attorneys.
Appearing for Rittenhouse was Racine criminal defense attorney Mark Richards. Richards seemed to get annoyed by Attorney Francine Felske’s repeated assertions that the California hedge-fund is entitled to the money. In Wisconsin, it is illegal for an attorney to pay for a defendant bond. Richards argued that the money in an attorney’s trust fund is not property of the lawyer, but of the client, an argument that Schroeder agreed with.
Appearing for #fightback was local criminal defense attorney Xavier Solis. He argued that the negotiated agreement should be honored.
During a lengthy lull in today’s hearing, the litigants and judge were searching for the bond document. Richards later found the document on his phone, after it was sent to him by his associate. He displayed the document from his iPhone to the other lawyers and the judge. Schroeder made a remark about “pinching to zoom” to see the document better which drew laughs from the spectators and media. This was seemingly a reference to a dispute during trial. The Judge displayed a big smile.
The second topic of conversation today was the gun Rittenhouse used to shoot three assailants, killing two and injuring a third. Rittenhouse initially wanted the gun returned to him to destroy, but before today’s hearing, the prosecution and defense agreed to let the state crime lab destroy it. Richards said there were dual claims to the gun and he (Rittenhouse) didn’t want Dominick Black to sell it. Assistant DA T. Clair Binger and ADA James Kraus refused to release the gun to Rittenhouse. Richards said that many people have reached out to Rittenhouse’s team to purchase the gun, but Rittenhouse insisted it be destroyed. Richards said Rittenhouse was doing well but wouldn’t say where he was living. Rittenhouse is still pursuing a career in law and when the Kenosha County Eye asked Richards if he would hire Rittenhouse to work at his firm, Richards joked back, “Would have to look at his grades when gets through with law school, ” to which earned some laughs among the media. We also asked the seasoned attorney when he will retire. “When I’m old and dead,” he responded.
Video of Interview with Richards after Hearing:
Here are some more photos from today’s hearing:
4 Responses
Great photos! Kraus sportin’ the N-95 for safety. Solis sportin’ the colorful socks for style.
I trust the Schroeders (Bruce and Ricky) are not related.
The Kenosha County Eye scores again.
If a gun involved in no conviction can be destroyed on the accusations alone, not much of a chance for anyone else.
If both the claimed owner of the gun and the state wants the gun to be destroyed, then I see no problem with that.
No Star Wars pin this time? I am disappointed.