As we've noted several times over the last three weeks, Liberty Counsel, which has spent the last several years turning Lisa Miller into a right-wing cause célèbre, has mysteriously fallen silent ever since Miller disappeared with her daughter just before the New Year deadline to transfer custody over to her ex-partner.
Now, via Truth Wins Out, we see that the Facebook page "Only One Mommy: The Story of Lisa and Isabella Miller" which was "created by Rena Lindevaldsen, a Liberty Counsel attorney and law school professor at Liberty University School of Law" has gone dark:
The Facebook group’s activities in support of this kidnapping are now a legal liability — as is the Facebook group’s efforts to silence dissenters who care for the welfare of Isabella and Jenkins, not just Lisa and the Liberty Counsel.
So now Thurman has announced the hurried closure of this public group and the creation of a new, secret, invitation-only group. In a message to group members today, Thurman said:
Dear Folks,
I am letting you know about a major change. Only One Mommy is going defunct ASAP and will be replaced by a new group (still to be named) that will be created by Linda Wall. We want all members to know about the change so you can have the option of sending Linda a message (her FB profile is under Linda Marie Wall) to join the new group ASAP, if you wish to.
Not only as the Facebook group shut down, but its founder, Rena Lindevaldsen, asked to be removed as her attorney, but had the request rejected by the judge:
A lawyer for Miller participated in the hearing by telephone. She told Cohen she doesn't know where Miller and the girl are now, and that she hadn't had any communications with her ... During the hearing, Miller attorney Rena Lindevaldsen said she had no recent contact with Miller and asked to withdraw from the case, saying she couldn't represent her adequately without knowing what Miller wants.
Cohen rejected the request, saying that Lindevaldsen remains her attorney in a motion before the Vermont Supreme Court and that she couldn't withdraw as Miller's attorney in one Vermont court and stay on as it in another.
Is anyone else getting the impression that Liberty Counsel is quietly trying to distance itself from its star client now that Miller has absconded with her daughter and facing possible arrest?
