On Monday, January 30, 2023, the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct Panel D ordered the suspension of Fort Smith attorney Mosemarie Dora Boyd over frivolous allegations and engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.

The case is styled ‘In Re: Mosemarie Dora Boyd’, Case #CPC-2021-038.

The charges cited Rules 3.1 and 8.4(d) of the Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct, which provide:

A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous, which includes a good faith argument for an extension, modification, or reversal of existing law. A lawyer for the defendant in a criminal proceeding, or the respondent in a proceeding that could result in incarceration, may nevertheless so defend the proceeding as to require that every element of the case be established.

It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.

The following are as alleged and summarized from the filing:

Judge Greg Magness of Sebastian County Circuit Court provided the Committee with information on which the formal charges of misconduct against Boyd were based.

The information narrated Boyd’s filing a Petition seeking Appointment of Emergency Ex Parte Temporary and permanent Guardianship of minor children who were not related to her. The matter is sealed and assigned to Judge Magness. During the trial of the case, Judge Magness found that Boyd’s allegations were unfounded because Boyd failed to provide evidence of the alleged abuse. Thereafter, the court entered an order granting the motions of the parents of the minor children, sanctioned Boyd for her violation of the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure, and ordered her to pay $4,835.00 in attorney’s fees to counsel for the parents.

Accordingly, upon consideration of the formal complaint, its attached exhibits, Boyd’s response, the parties’ testimonies, and their witnesses at the hearing on December 16, 2022, the panel ruled against Boyd based on findings that Boyd’s aforementioned conduct violated the rules of professional conduct as charged.

The disposition reads:

“WHEREFORE, it is the decision and order of the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct, acting through its authorized Panel D, that Mosemarie Boyd, Arkansas Bar Number 2008078, be, and hereby is, SUSPENDED for SIX (6) MONTHS, and ASSESSED COSTS of $1,164.50 for her conduct in this matter.”

Ms. Boyd is the owner/attorney of True Grit Law Firm.  She attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, class of 2007. She has been licensed in Arkansas. Ms. Boyd ran for the 2020 presidential election and also competed for the Sebastian County prosecuting attorney position in 2022. Her online bio can be found online at this link.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.