Topline
Lin Wood plans to sue members of the State Bar of Georgia’s disciplinary board for requiring him to undergo a mental health evaluation to keep his law license, he said Tuesday, as the far-right attorney faces an investigation and other professional consequences for spreading baseless conspiracy theories about voter fraud in an attempt to overturn the November election.
Key Facts
Wood shared a lawsuit on Telegram to be filed in the U.S. District Court in Georgia, though court records indicate the complaint has not yet been docketed.
The State Bar of Georgia has asked Wood to undergo a mental health evaluation as part of a broader complaint against the attorney over his post-election behavior and litigation, which could ultimately result in Wood losing his ability to practice law on the grounds of “mental illness, cognitive impairment, alcohol abuse, or substance abuse, to the extent of impairing competency as a lawyer.”
Wood opposed the state bar’s request for a mental health evaluation and alleged it violates his First Amendment, due process rights and privacy, claiming he is not mentally ill and the state bar does not have adequate grounds to force him to undergo an evaluation.
The state bar’s investigation into Wood is based on four complaints sent in by people from outside Georgia about Wood’s lawsuits challenging the election results, Wood alleges, which the attorney defended in the lawsuit as him exercising his free speech on “political issues of inherent public and national concern.”
Wood’s refusal to undergo the examination could be grounds for him to lose his license in itself if he doesn’t win his court case, as the state bar’s rules stipulate doing so “may be grounds for further proceedings...including emergency suspension proceedings.”
The State Bar of Georgia has not yet responded to a request for comment, but has previously confirmed to Forbes that it is investigating Wood under its “Mental Incapacity and Substance Abuse” policy.
Key Background
Wood was banned from Twitter and the Trump administration distanced themselves from him for spreading outlandish conspiracy theories after the election, including claims involving the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and now-former Vice President Mike Pence, who Wood said should “face execution by firing squad.” The attorney was also involved with a number of lawsuits in battleground states alleging voter fraud, including several with fellow far-right attorney Sidney Powell, who Wood has said he’s now representing in Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against her. His behavior has led to a range of consequences beyond the Georgia Bar’s investigation: A judge kicked Wood off a case in Delaware for his behavior in unrelated election cases and MSNBC host Joy Reid has asked a New York federal court to remove Wood from a defamation case against her. Nicholas Sandmann, an 18-year-old from Covington Catholic High School known for his viral standoff with a Native American elder, also fired Wood as his attorney, and Mercer Law School has been under pressure to remove Wood’s name from a courtroom at the school. Dominion, whose voting machines are at the heart of a baseless voter fraud conspiracy theory Wood and others on the far right have pushed, has also suggested it may sue Wood for defamation as it has Powell and other Trump allies.
Tangent
Wood is also under investigation to determine if he voted illegally in Georgia after residing out of state in South Carolina, the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office previously confirmed to Forbes.
Further Reading
Georgia State Bar Looks To Punish Pro-Trump Lawyer Lin Wood (Forbes)
Pro-Trump Attorney Lin Wood Could Lose License As Georgia Bar Asks For Mental Health Evaluation (Forbes)
Lin Wood Will Represent Sidney Powell In Dominion Defamation Case (Forbes)
Georgia Secretary Of State Investigates Whether Pro-Trump Attorney Lin Wood Voted Illegally (Forbes)
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March 24, 2021 at 03:13AM
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Pro-Trump Attorney Lin Wood To Sue Georgia State Bar For Trying To Take Away Law License - Forbes
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