JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Supreme Court reciprocally disbarred Robert C.B. Myers, a Montana-based attorney, following "reckless" statements made about his opponent in a 2016 campaign for judge.
The high court sustained a motion for reciprocal discipline filed by the chief disciplinary counsel before disbarring Myers. The attorney also was ordered to pay costs.
Myers failed to respond to a show cause order issued by the Missouri court in May, according to the court's order.
The Montana Supreme Court disbarred Myers after finding he violated professional conduct rules after allegedly making false claims against his opponent during his 2016 campaign for judge, according to the Montana high court's order of discipline. A Montana commission found that Myers sent a mailer to residents and purchased ads that included "unsubstantiated claims" about his opponent, incumbent Jeffrey H. Langton..
Those claims included allegations Langton was the presiding judge in a case against the ex-boyfriend of Langton's "cocaine and sex partner" and Langton purchased illegal drugs from a 13-year-old child, the order said.
Myer's allegations against Langton "included knowingly false and reckless statements" that lead to three complaints against Myers between July 2016 and January 2018, according to the order.
Myer, who reportedly claimed the ads amounted to protected political speech, was soundly defeated in the November 2016 election with Langton taking more than 60 percent of the vote.
The commission found that Myers made statements he knew to be false or that had been made "with reckless disregard for the truth concerning the integrity of a judge," the order said.