Lawyer for Kane accuser quits; Kane's attorney calls case tainted
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The lawyer of a woman accusing Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane of sexual assault abruptly quit the case Thursday night, saying he's no longer comfortable representing the woman because of how her mother reported finding an evidence bag they believed once held the woman's rape kit.
Thomas Eoannou told reporters he doesn't believe the story he was told about how the bag was found. But he said he's still confident in the woman's allegations against Kane.
“I don't know how that reflects, and I don't think it does, on the night in question,” Eoannou said of the confusion over the bag.
Eoannou's statement led Kane's attorney, Paul J. Cambria, to say there is little doubt in his mind that the woman's entire complaint against Kane is a fabrication.
“This case needs to go away. It's tainted from one end to the other,” Cambria told The Buffalo News. “It's obvious to me that Eoannou dropped out of the case because he was lied to by his client's family. They fabricated evidence. I told you yesterday that this whole thing was a hoax, and now it is obvious.”
Cambria, who called his own news conference late Thursday, said he hopes the latest developments help to convince police and the district attorney's office that the allegations the woman made about being attacked by Kane last month are false.
“You can't trust anything about this case,” he said.
Eoannou's reversal and decision to withdraw as counsel is the latest twist in a case that has been a source of intense speculation and rumor since Hamburg police first announced they had launched an investigation against Kane.
On Wednesday, Eoannou held a news conference in the same law office boardroom where he displayed the evidence bag which he had confirmed to be authentic. He said the paper bag was labeled with personal identifying information for the woman, details on where the rape kit was used and the initials of the nurses who administered the kit.
He began having reservations of the mother's version of events after continuing his own investigation into how the bag was found, and after meeting with prosecutors on Thursday.
Eoannou wouldn't reveal what specific concerns he had with the mother's story. He would only say, “I'm not comfortable with that version of events.”
Eoannou raised questions about the bag on Wednesday, saying the folded-up paper bag was found by the woman's mother in between her storm door and her front door.
“I don't know what's true and what's not true,” Eoannou said Thursday night.
Cambria said he believes that Kane is being victimized.
“People keep using the word victim, victim, and in my opinion, you don't know who the victim is until all the facts are in,” Cambria said.
“This happening today is bizarre,” Cambria said, noting that officials had confirmed all the evidence had been accounted for. “Today, within 24 hours of these kind of astronomical claims yesterday, we now find out that they're false.”
Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita, reached at home after the news conference, declined to comment but said he would address the issue on Friday at a previously scheduled news conference.
Sedita said he was surprised to hear that an evidence bag had been left at the home of the accuser's mother and said he has never heard of such a thing in more than 27 years as a prosecutor.
“In 27-plus years, I've never seen a rape kit tampered with,” Sedita said. “It will be investigated, professionally investigated.”
A county grand jury was scheduled to begin hearing witness testimony in the case, but that activity was abruptly postponed Sept. 8.
The case has been the source of intense speculation and rumor since early August, when Kane was accused of assaulting the young woman in his waterfront mansion after they met at a nightclub. He has not been charged. Authorities have said only that they are investigating.
Kane last week said he did nothing wrong and expected to be absolved. He also apologized for the distraction he has caused his family, teammates, the Blackhawks organization and fans.
Kane and the NHL have been subject to criticism for allowing the player to report to training camp and play in the preseason despite the investigation.
On Wednesday, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said “nothing's changed,” regarding Kane's status with the team. He shrugged off the notion that the latest news involving Kane contributes to a distraction.
“We don't change our routine at all,” Quenneville told reporters outside his team's dressing room in Detroit. “It's business as usual, going into the game.”
The Blackhawks, who have won three Stanley Cups in six years, open the regular season Oct. 7 at home against the New York Rangers.
• The Buffalo News contributed to this report,