On January 25, 2024, the Supreme Court of Ohio publicly reprimanded Cleveland attorney Lon’Cherie’ Darchelle Billingsley for improperly notarizing an affidavit.
The case is entitled “Disciplinary Counsel v. Billingsley,” with case no. 2023-0976.
According to the court’s decision, Billingsley notarized an affidavit on November 29, 2021, despite the affiant not being present. The affidavit was later filed in juvenile court on December 1, 2021, in support of an emergency motion related to a child custody case.
In its January 25, 2024 ruling, the Ohio Supreme Court found Billingsley’s conduct violated Professional Conduct Rule 8.4(c), which prohibits acts involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation. Specifically, the court determined Billingsley engaged in a misrepresentation by placing her notary signature on the affidavit under a false jurat, or statement verifying the document was sworn to before her.
In determining the appropriate sanction, the court reviewed past cases where it had issued public reprimands for similar situations. These included four situations where attorneys notarized signatures outside their presence, as well as instances where signatures were affixed without proper indication. The court also cited mitigating factors in Billingsley’s situation like her clean disciplinary record.
Ultimately, the Ohio Supreme Court agreed with the disciplinary board’s recommendation to publicly reprimand Billingsley. The sanction reflected that while a violation, her misconduct was not deemed more serious than attorneys disciplined in previous cases involving improper notarizations.
According to LinkedIn.com, Ms. Lon’Cherie’ Darchelle Billingsley is a sole practitioner in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Cleveland State University – Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. She acquired her law license in Ohio in 2012.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
