Resignation Accepted
The Idaho Supreme Court has accepted an attorney’s resignation in lieu of further disciplinary proceedings
On May 20, 2025, the Idaho Supreme Court entered an Order accepting the resignation in lieu of disciplinary proceedings of Meridian attorney Tessa J. Bennett. The Idaho Supreme Court’s Order followed a stipulated resolution of a disciplinary proceeding that related to the following conduct.
Ms. Bennett represented clients in three separate custody cases. As part of her advocacy of her clients in those cases, Ms. Bennett filed documents with the court asserting issues for which there was not a basis in both law and fact, made certain assertions about the presiding judges with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity of those assertions, and engaged in conduct that required the additional expenditure of court time and resources.
With respect to that conduct, Ms. Bennett admitted that her conduct violated I.R.P.C. 3.1 [A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless there is a basis in law and fact for doing so that is not frivolous], I.R.P.C. 8.2(a) [A lawyer shall not make a statement with reckless disregard as to its truth or falsity concerning the qualifications or integrity of a judge], and I.R.P.C. 8.4(d) [Engaging in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice].
The Idaho Supreme Court accepted Ms. Bennett’s resignation in lieu of disciplinary proceedings. By the terms of the Order, Ms. Bennett may not make application for admission to the Idaho State Bar sooner than five (5) years from the date of her resignation. If she does make such application for admission, she will be required to comply with all the bar admission requirements in Section II of the Idaho Bar Commission Rules and shall have the burden of overcoming the rebuttable presumption of the “unfitness to practice law.”
By the terms of the Idaho Supreme Court’s Order, Ms. Bennett’s name was stricken from the records of the Idaho Supreme Court and her right to practice law before the courts in the State of Idaho was terminated on May 20, 2025.
(Mike Frisch)