The former attorney for Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupier Ammon Bundy is now clear of all alleged ethics violations before the Oregon State Bar.
Clatsop County district attorney Josh Marquis had filed an ethics complaint against Eugene lawyer Mike Arnold, who originally represented Bundy in the case.
That complaint alleged Arnold violated bar rules by frequently holding news conferences that could influence jurors before Bundy’s trial in September.
But bar general counsel Amber Hollister dismissed the complaint for a second time Monday. The bar had previously denied to pursue the complaint in May, but Marquis appealed that ruling.
"After reviewing the relevant materials submitted, I do not find any evidence of ethical misconduct. For this reason, I affirm and adopt the Client Assistance Office’s dismissal of this complaint," Hollister wrote Monday.
In a statement, Arnold said he was glad to have the “frivolous” complaint behind him and the other attorneys at his law firm.
"This decision is thought to be the first of its kind regarding pretrial publicity in a high-profile case in the modern social media age," Arnold wrote. "It will serve as positive precedent for attorneys nationwide that we no longer have to kowtow to the power of the government and their unlimited resources."
Conrad Wilson
/Ammon Bundy's attorney Mike Arnold speaks with the media before the Malheur refuge occupation ended in February.
Copyright 2016 Oregon Public Broadcasting
