Montana Attorney Called to Court After Threatening Fellow Attorney

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Montana Supreme Court has ordered a Billings attorney to appear before the court on Jan. 7 for a public censure for threatening another attorney.

The high court says attorney Jeffrey Michael's license will be placed on probation for a year and he must complete a "counseling assessment with a focus on anger."

The Billings Gazette reports the Supreme Court agreed with a recommendation from the Commission on Practice that Michael be censured for making "abusive, disruptive and threatening" statements to another Billings attorney, Elizabeth Honaker.

The complaint, filed in November 2012, stems from Honaker's handling of a petition for post-conviction relief filed on behalf of Lionel Ellis, who argued Michael coerced him into pleading "no contest" to a 2007 arson charge.