Ghost of Elections Past Returning To Haunt Roy Cooper’s Campaign For North Carolina Governor

A new State Bar complaint against North Carolina Democrat gubernatorial candidate Roy Cooper shows his previous effort to mislead North Carolina voters is now coming back to haunt him.

After running false attack ads during a previous campaign, Cooper settled a court case, paid a $75,000 mediator fee and apologized, but was never disciplined by the North Carolina State Bar for his misconduct. Why?

Is it because Cooper is the North Carolina State Bar’s Attorney?

This new complaint details Cooper’s ‘professional misconduct’ and why a conflict of interest may exist between him and the State Bar. Did Cooper receive preferential treatment as the State Bar’s attorney? Cooper’s actions show voters who he really is: a politician so focused on advancing his political career, he’ll try to tear down and destroy the reputation of anyone who stands in his way, even if it means misleading voters.

The State Bar should hold Cooper accountable for his actions.

Background:

New State Bar Complaint Against Roy Cooper Alleges Professional Misconduct and Conflict Of Interest. “A longstanding feud between Raleigh attorney Gene Boyce and state Attorney General Roy Cooper that appeared to be over in 2014 reignited last week, when Boyce filed a complaint against the North Carolina State Bar claiming that Cooper should be investigated for professional misconduct. Boyce is asking the court for a declaratory judgment forcing the State Bar to acknowledge Boyce’s claims of Cooper’s misconduct; declare that the State Bar has a conflict of interest in the matter; and refer the matter to an appropriate alternative agency for investigation, findings of fact, and discipline if appropriate.” (Don Carrington, “State Bar Complaint Targets Roy Cooper,” Carolina Journal, 1/12/2016)

This New Complaint Could Be A Major Problem For Cooper’s Gubernatorial Campaign. (Twitter, “Ghost of Elections Past Might Be Returning To Haunt @RoyCooperNC’s Bid For Governor,” Raleigh News & Observer, 1/12/2016)

Cooper’s Campaign Ran Attack Ad’s In 2000 Containing Several Untrue Statements, Even After Being Informed The Statements Were Untrue. “The ad contained several untrue statements. On the second day the ad ran, Boyce & Isley notified Cooper’s committee in writing about the statements in the ad and requested that an immediate retraction. Cooper ignored the request and continued running the ads, the lawsuit stated. Gene Boyce said Cooper’s ad ran at least three times a day for seven days on more than 20 television stations.” (Don Carrington, “State Bar Complaint Targets Roy Cooper,” Carolina Journal, 1/12/2016)

Cooper Issued A Written Apology For the Ads In 2014, Settled A Court Case, And Agreed To Pay $75,000 In Mediator Fees. “Under terms of the settlement, which Jackson provided to WRAL News, Cooper will pay $75,000 plus the fees of a mediator hired to deal with the case. Cooper also signed an apology attached to the agreement.’Gene Boyce, Dan Boyce, Laura Isley and Phillip Isley are all excellent and ethical lawyers and honorable people. To the extent the political TV ad in the 2000 election for Attorney General implied anything else, we were wrong and apologize,’ reads the statement signed by Cooper and campaign aide Julia White. ‘We affirm Gene Boyce’s personal integrity and professional ethical standards as well as every person in Dan Boyce’s law firm as it existed in the year 2000, including Laura Boyce Isley and Phillip Isley.” (Mark Binker, “Cooper Settles Libel Suit From 2000 Election,” WRAL, 4/17/2014)

While The Case Was Settled In 2014, The North Carolina State Bar Never Took Action Against Roy Cooper For Misconduct.  “Gene Boyce contends in the new lawsuit that there is still an outstanding legal question about whether Cooper should be disciplined for misconduct, since the Bar never took action against him. Their settlement released all civil action claims against Cooper, who is running for the Democratic nomination for governor.” (Craig Jarvis, “Boyce Pushes Case Against Cooper,” Raleigh News & Observer, 1/12/2016)

Is The North Carolina State Bar Covering For Roy Cooper, An Attorney For The State Bar? “Boyce also believes the State Bar has a conflict of interest in the matter because Cooper also serves as the attorney for the State Bar.” (Don Carrington, “State Bar Complaint Targets Roy Cooper,” Carolina Journal, 1/12/2016)