CONCORD, New Hampshire -- Nathan Carman has fired his attorneys in a New Hampshire lawsuit that alleges he played a role in the death of his grandfather.
The lawsuit, brought by his aunts, accuses Carman of being responsible for the 2013 death of John Chakalos, his grandfather. It aims to prevent Carman from inheriting millions from the grandfather's estate.
The suit alleges Carman was responsible for the death of his mother, Linda Carman. Carman has denied any wrongdoing. He’s never been charged. Linda Carman is presumed dead after the boat she and her son were on sank last year. Her sisters have asked a judge to block Nathan Carman from collecting his grandfather’s estate money.
Carman fired Hubert Santos and Richard Thorner, saying his decision was, "based in part on growing concerns about their basic competence and the attention being afforded to the handling of my case. For example, Attorney Santos did not bother to show up to the court hearing last December after telling both Attorney Thorner and myself he would be in attendance and he demonstrated, in my view, a persistent unwillingness to familiarize himself with the technical details and legal foundations of my case."
He went on to say, "My decision to fire Attorneys Santos and Thorner was also rooted in my belief that their handling of the case was not likely to lead to the best outcome and that a more open, firm, and informed strategic approach was needed."
Carman also said,
I did not kill my grandfather or my mother, nor did I engage in the violent behavior in my childhood that has been reported. On the contrary, I have a long history of volunteer service and community involvement dating back to my high school days and continuing through the present. It is my aunts who are being driven by malice and greed to make the vexatious, false, and insupportable allegations which form the basis of their probate lawsuit in New Hampshire.
Though I wish I had the financial means to hire more suitable counsel to represent me in that matter, I am confident that through my hard work and determination alone if need be, the truth will prevail, I will be vindicated, and perhaps my grandfather's true murderer will be uncovered.
Carman said he would file a motion to appear on his own behalf.
“Once again, Nathan is fixated on money, all the Chakalos family wants is justice," said Dan Small from Holland & Knight, representing his aunts in the lawsuit. "Nathan's latest claim that the family is looking for money is as false as his story that he somehow ‘lost’ his $3,000 assault rifle. The family has made clear from day one that if they win the Slayer case, that the proceeds that Linda would receive would be donated to charity in her name.
Sadly, Nathan’s false statements are not surprising, after his repeated refusals to answer questions about his $3,000 semi-automatic rifle, the same caliber that was used to murder his grandfather. Continuing to cover up such a dangerous weapon remains outrageous and devastatingly incriminating.”