Rudin fires Amador, seeks new attorney

Kim Smith

Tuesday, May 8, 2001 | 10:35 a.m.

Margaret Rudin is expected to go before District Judge Joseph Bonaventure Wednesday morning to discuss the firing of lead her attorney, Michael Amador.

Defense attorney Tom Pitaro said this morning that Rudin informed him she fired Amador because of a contract dispute. As a result, Pitaro asked for a hearing so that Rudin could find another attorney and have extra time to file her motion for a new trial; the motion is due Thursday evening.

Although Pitaro and John Momot were relieved of their duties after Rudin was convicted of murdering her husband May 2, Pitaro said he felt obligated to place the matter on Bonaventure's calendar as soon as possible.

Amador could not be reached for comment this morning. He said Monday that he was going to file a motion for a new trial today.

In other news, sources said prosecutors are working to determine whether Amador lied about taking the case without charging Rudin.

Sources close to the case said they are "looking into any and all outside sources" from whom Amador may have received funds when he accepted the Rudin case last summer.

Toward that end, the Clark County district attorney's office has the ability to subpoena both financial records and anyone who prosecutors want to bring before a grand jury to testify.

Amador has repeatedly insisted that Rudin is destitute, and he agreed to take on the case as a matter of principle. District Judge Joseph Bonaventure later appointed Pitaro and two investigators to the case at the state's expense.

Momot came into the case during the trial, although he also said he was waiving his fee.

Rudin told Bonaventure in October that she is broke. Although she received $600,000 after settling a civil lawsuit with her husband's trustees, $429,000 of that went to her attorneys. She spent the remainder during the two years she was hiding from police.

During the hearing, Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Owens suggested that Amador might benefit from movie or book rights.

Amador said that would be illegal and unethical.

"I don't write books. I don't make movies," Amador said. "I am here to defend an innocent person."

Bonaventure ruled at that time that if Rudin ever does come into a large sum of money, through an inheritance or a book deal, Amador must divulge that fact so the state can be reimbursed.

Although Amador has said he won't benefit from Rudin's life story, he did file a lawsuit on her behalf against Joseph DeLeo.

Amador and Rudin claim that DeLeo misrepresented himself as a pastor to Rudin to get her to sign over the rights to her story for $1.

DeLeo later agreed not to take any action for one year.

That agreement was made in August, and the lawsuit is pending.

Rudin was convicted May 2 of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in the December 1994 shooting death of her husband, Ronald Rudin.

Prosecutors alleged Rudin shot her husband to death to get her share of his $11 million estate.

Should Amador remain on the case and file the motion for a new trial, he will allege that Rudin deserves a new trial because one of the jurors was coerced into a vote of guilty.

Rudin, who faces life in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced June 8.