Sealed With A Suspension

The Arkansas Professional Conduct Committee Panel D ordered a six-month suspension for violations of Rules 3.1 and 8.4(d)

In a case assigned to Judge Magness, [attorney] Boyd filed a Petition seeking Appointment of Emergency Ex Parte Temporary & Permanent Guardianship of the Persons relating to minor children who were not related to her, in Sebastian County Circuit Court, Fort Smith District. That matter is sealed, and therefore the full account of the underlying case is not included in this Findings & Order.

After Boyd's filing, Judge Magness ordered the case to be sealed because the nearly two hundred (200) page petition identified the minor children by name, listed their home address, included a picture of their unredacted likenesses, contained detailed descriptions of irrelevant sensitive information; and included many unsupported conclusions of serious alleged abuse. After the case had been sealed, Boyd delivered a copy of the Petition to the children's school principal. The case proceeded to trial. After multiple hours of testimony, Judge Magness found that Boyd's allegations were not supported by evidence, as Boyd failed to present any evidence of the alleged abuse.

Both parents of the minor children at issue filed motions for Attorney's Fees and/or Sanctions. Judge Magness entered an Order Granting Motions for Sanctions against Boyd. Judge Magness found that Boyd violated Ark. R. Civ. P. 11(b)(3) and ordered Boyd to pay $4,835.00 in attorney's fees to counsel for the parents.

40/29 News reported on the attorney's announced candidacy for the 2020 Democratic nomination for President of the United States . (Mike Frisch)