Page 5 - Katten 2025 Pro Bono Annual Review

KATTEN SECURES COMPASSIONATE RELEASE FOR CLIENT AFTER
NEARLY 29 YEARS IN FEDERAL CUSTODY

In a landmark ruling in the US District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, Katten secured compassionate
release for our pro bono client Ramiro Astello, with the judge reducing his sentence from life without parole
to time served and issuing a 16-page opinion finding extraordinary and compelling circumstances. Mr. Astello,
sentenced to mandatory life without parole at age 18 for his involvement in a kidnapping and murder,
remained incarcerated at age 44 despite not being the shooter. Though he had since testified against the
crime’s orchestrator, earned degrees, worked steadily and gained broad support from family, friends and even
the now-retired sentencing judge, his clemency petition was denied.

The Katten team, led by Litigation Partner and Deputy General Counsel Charles DeVore and including Financial
Markets Litigation and Enforcement Associate Michael Beirne and Andrea Lewis, director of Northwestern
University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions, retained a developmental psychologist and a mitigation specialist
whose evaluations were explicitly relied on by the court. Coupled with these experts’ testimonies, the strength
of Katten’s motion persuaded the prosecutor to consent to a new sentence of 348 months
(constituting time served) instead of filing an opposition. On August 20, Charles
personally walked Mr. Astello out of prison after nearly 29 years in
custody, concluding a years-long effort that highlights the
impact of dedicated advocacy and Katten’s unwav-
ering commitment to securing justice for
deserving clients.

RAMIRO ASTELLO (with Charles DeVore)

DALLAS TEAM ACHIEVES MAJOR
PRO BONO VICTORY FOR VETERAN
DEFRAUDED BY CONTRACTOR

In a matter undertaken through the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP), a Dallas team from
Katten secured a significant pro bono victory on behalf of a Dallas-area Army veteran in his 70s, who
sought legal assistance from the firm when he and his wife were stranded in temporary housing after a
contractor refused to complete critical repair work at their home following Winter Storm Uri in February
2021. The couple had hired the contractor after their family home sustained catastrophic water damage.
However, after receiving substantial insurance proceeds designated for repairs, the contractor aban-
doned the project. Katten filed suit against the contractor and its principal in Dallas County. After more
than a year of litigation, the case was resolved the night before trial, with the contractor agreeing to pay
nearly $100,000, more than 2.5 times the amount taken from the client under the original repair contract.

Katten’s team included Litigation Partners Ted Huffman and Eric Hail, Insolvency and Restructuring
Partner Yelena Archiyan, Litigation Associates W. Reid Corbin, Reid Gordon and Meredith Seitz, and
Commercial Litigation Associate Reid Guerriero.

2025 PR
O BONO ANNU
AL REVIEW
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Katten