A lawyer who hasn’t been paid, and has no prospect of getting paid, can withdraw from a case, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled last week.

The appeals court reversed the decision of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, holding that its opinion was an abuse of discretion when it ruled that John Richardson couldn’t withdraw until his client either gets new counsel or accepts voluntary judgment in the underlying breach-of-warranty suit.