Gilbert Maines' on-again, off-again effort to represent Nancy Garrido in her kidnapping trial was off again Thursday after an appellate court in Sacramento upheld his removal from the case.
"This came as a complete surprise to me," the Placerville attorney said shortly after the order was issued by the 3rd District Court of Appeal.
Maines was appointed to represent Garrido in August after she and her husband, Phillip, were arrested in the 1991 abduction of Jaycee Lee Dugard. Maines has been fighting since November to stay on the case.
He was accused of boasting about the case and the possibility of a book deal over afternoon cocktails at his Placerville country club in late October.
Those allegations made their way to El Dorado Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister, who had appointed Maines to the case.
Phimister heard evidence on the claims in closed session and ordered Maines removed because of a conflict of interest. Maines denied the allegations and went to the appellate court, where he won a stay of his ouster.
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