Posted Oct 21st 2009 12:51PM by TMZ Staff
Jon Gosselin may be on the hunt for a new lawyer soon, because we've learned the person who sponsored New York attorney Mark Heller to appear on Gosselin's behalf in Pennsylvania has formally made a motion with the court to withdraw his support.
Attorney Mike Marino filed his motion today, saying he wants to wash his hands of the whole case. Marino told us he had never had contact with Heller until Mr. Heller found him in a legal directory, cold called him and asked Marino to sponsor him for a one-time-only case -- Jon vs. Kate.
Marino says he had never heard of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" when he agreed to sponsor Heller. As Marino put it, "I don't watch that kind of junk on TV."
The judge will schedule a hearing on Marino's motion. We also learned Marino sent the judge a letter last week requesting out of the whole case.
If Heller doesn't find a new sponsor, he can't practice in PA.
Stay tuned ...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Jon & Kate, Exclusives
Tags: court, jon gosselin, jon kate plus 8, JonGosselin, JonKatePlus8, kate gosselin, KateGosselin, lawyer, lawyers, mark heller, MarkHeller, mike marino, MikeMarino
Posted Oct 12th 2009 9:34AM by TMZ Staff
Under the category, "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished" ... the lawyer who stepped in to vouch for Jon Gosselin's attorney has some deep regrets today, over a case he says is "so insignificant to me."
As we first reported, attorney Michael Marino was contacted by Jon's lawyer, Mark Heller, asking for help to get admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar on a one-time-only basis. Marino tells TMZ he had never met or spoken with Heller before and thinks Heller randomly pulled his name out of a legal directory.
Marino says he agreed to do a solid for Heller and sponsor him so Heller could get permission from the judge to rep Jon.
Marino says at the time, he had no idea who Jon and Kate Gosselin were -- "The names didn't mean anything to me," Marino said, adding, "I thought it was some simple divorce case where some lawyer wanted to be introduced to the court."
Marino, who is semi-retired, says "I don't watch that kind of junk on TV. It was so insignificant to me." Marino told us when he realized the divorce was a contested mess, he wanted out, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Heller had been suspended by the New York State Bar for a variety of misdeeds.
Heller withdrew his sponsorship this past Thursday. The ball's in your court, Mark.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV, Dirty Divorces, Jon & Kate, Exclusives
Tags: jon and kate plus 8, jon gosselin, JonAndKatePlus8, JonGosselin, kate gosselin, KateGosselin, lawyers, mark heller, MarkHeller, mike marino, MikeMarino, new york state bar, NewYorkStateBar, pennsylvania state bar, PennsylvaniaStateBar, regret, so insignificant, SoInsignificant
