 On 19 November , Feygin and the two other original lawyers for Pussy Riot withdrew from the case prior to Tolokonnikova 's appeal , stating that they felt the court would be more likely to grant the appeal if the three were no longer a part of the defense . Samutsevich criticized the original legal team for allegedly using the trial for personal publicity rather than securing the release of the defendants . On 21 November , Samutsevich 's lawyer told the press that Samutsevich was considering requesting that Feygin and the other original lawyers be disbarred for failing to return her passport and other belongings . Feygin responded via Twitter that Samutsevich was part of a " defamation campaign organized by the authorities " , while another member of the legal team , Violeta Volkova , responded that the claims were " part of an agreement that allowed her to break free of the case " . On 21 January 2013 , Feygin , Volkova , and Nicholas Polozov filed suit against Khrunova and Kommersant for defamation . 
