On Monday, October 21, 2024, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma approved the resignation of attorney Mitchell Kenneth Coatney from practicing law in the state.
The case is entitled “State of Oklahoma v. Mitchell Kenneth Coatney,” with case number SCBD 7741.
Coatney had been facing disciplinary proceedings initiated by the Oklahoma Bar Association related to his guilty plea in federal court. In 2021, Coatney pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud for his role in a scheme involving the misuse of insider information from an oil and gas company. He received a sentence of two years of supervised release.
Coatney submitted an affidavit to the state Supreme Court seeking to resign his law license and end the disciplinary investigation. In his filing, he acknowledged that the allegations against him, if proven true, would constitute violations of Oklahoma’s rules for professional conduct and responsibilities as an attorney. Specifically, he was accused of conspiring with others from 2011 to 2020 to obtain mineral rights leases and purchases based on insider tips, with the intent to resell the leases to Continental Resources for profit.
The state Bar Association supported Coatney’s request, filing an application with the Supreme Court recommending his resignation be accepted.
In a unanimous decision, the state’s highest court approved ending the disciplinary process against Coatney by accepting his voluntary resignation. As part of the order, Coatney will be prohibited from applying for reinstatement of his law license for five years. He was also ordered to pay $90.64 to cover costs associated with the proceedings.
According to Avvo, Mr. Coatney obtained his law license in Oklahoma in 2006.
A copy of the original filing can be found here.
