Scumbags never change. Did her attorneys honestly think Holmes would balk at stiffing them when she already proved willing and able to shaft Theranos' investors and employees?
Occam's razor compels us to presume she's just broke.
If she's not paying, it must surely be because she's broke, rather than out of some perverse thrill of screwing people over and also getting a more severe penalty.
Precisely. The "rational" time to screw the lawyers is once the trial is over, not before.
* Not actually rational because life is a multi-round game.