On Wednesday, December 7, 2022, the Disciplinary Counsel filed Disciplinary charges against Greater Cleveland attorney Lon “Cherie” Darchelle Billingsley, Esq. before the Board of Professional Conduct of the Supreme Court of Ohio for dishonesty. 

The case is entitled “Disciplinary Counsel v. Lon “Cherie” Darchelle Billingsley, Esq”, and was brought by the Disciplinary Counsel with case no. 2022-051.

The Charges cited Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(c) which states:

Prohibiting a lawyer from engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.

The Rules of Professional Conduct can be found here. 

The respondent allegedly notarized an affidavit despite not witnessing the client signed the actual document. 

The filing states:

“On November 29, 2021, Brown-O’Neal advised the respondent that she had witnessed Eddie sign the affidavit electronically via video conference, and the respondent then agreed to notarize the affidavit containing what purported to be Eddie’s electronic signature. The notary clause on the affidavit that the respondent notarized stated, “Sworn to and subscribed to in my presence on November 29, 2021. Despite not witnessing Eddie sign the affidavit, the respondent notarized the affīidavit.

The filing continues:

“Magistrate Hilow instructed respondent to wait in the hallway, and then Magistrate Hilow’s bailiff mistakenly dismissed respondent from the hearing. Minutes later, Magistrate Hilow was ready to go on the record and sought the respondent’s presence. When the respondent learned Magistrate Hilow was seeking her presence, she informed the court that she would not be able to return until the afternoon as she was already on her way to another court appearance in Lyndhurst.”

The Disciplinary counsel believes the respondent’s conduct violates the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct as stated above. Thus, requests that the respondent be sanctioned accordingly.

As of today, Ms. Billingsley is listed on the website of the law firm Law Offices of Tyresha Brown-O’Neal as a practicing attorney. Her info can be found on Linkedin. She attended Cleveland State University – Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, graduating in 2012. Billingsley practices in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. She is licensed in Ohio.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.