SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A California appeals court says an El Dorado County judge improperly fired the defense lawyer representing one of Jaycee Dugard's accused kidnappers.
The 3rd District Court of Appeal on Tuesday ordered the judge either to reinstate Placerville lawyer Gilbert Maines as Nancy Garrido's court-appointed attorney or to provide more evidence showing why Maines should be kept off the case.
Maines was initially fired following allegations he drunkenly boasted of standing to score a lucrative book deal from the high-profile case.
El Dorado Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister removed Maines as Nancy Garrido's lawyer after hearing reports that Maines had repeated details from his conversations with Garrido in public.
In its ruling Tuesday, the appeals court said its review did not reveal any improprieties.