Imaginary Citation Use Alleged In Iowa Reinstatement Proceeding

The Iowa Capital Dispatch has a story on a pending reinstatement proceeding 

A former Iowa lawyer sanctioned for alleged incompetence, contempt of court and mishandling client funds is now accused of attempting to win back his license by citing an “imaginary” case generated by artificial intelligence.

In December 2016, the Iowa Supreme Court suspended the law license of Des Moines attorney Royce David Turner, who was first licensed by the state in 2013. The court reinstated Turner’s license in May 2017.

In 2018, the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board filed a set of 13 disciplinary charges against Turner.

The charges related to alleged violations of rules concerning a failure to respond to inquiries related to disciplinary action, failure to provide competent representation for clients, knowingly making false statements of fact or law, failure to keep clients informed as to their cases, failure to retain client funds in separate trust accounts, failure to cooperate with the Office of Professional Regulation in relation to audits and investigations, and several other regulations.

Some of the charges stemmed from Turner’s handling of several different bankruptcy cases over the previous four years. In 2014, a federal judge ordered Turner to appear before her with regard to his alleged filing of inaccurate and incomplete court records, making false representations to a client, failing to appear in court, and failing to comply with court orders that he refund fees paid to him by clients.

The judge subsequently ordered Turner to pay $4,550 to his clients and complete educational training in ethics and management of a law office.

In 2018, the board alleged Turner had yet to refund his clients their fees, but acknowledged that Turner was being treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression. According to the board, Turner admitted representing clients in bankruptcy proceedings at a time when he wasn’t as familiar with bankruptcy law as he should have been.

In its 2018 filing against Turner, the board stated that although judgments against Turner in favor of his clients had been entered by the courts, the “clients are still waiting for most, if not all, of the money the bankruptcy court awarded them.”

Criminal cases resulted in arrest, fines

The 2018 charges also related to Turner’s representation of clients in criminal cases — cases in which he allegedly failed to appear for hearings and failed to file motions on his clients’ behalf on a timely basis.

In one such case, a Mahaska County judge held Turner in contempt of court and ordered him to complete 40 hours of community service, the board alleged. Turner was again found in contempt of court when the judge in the case concluded he had not complied with the order for community service, according to the board.

In a Story County criminal case, the board alleged, Turner and his client failed to appear for a pretrial conference, resulting in the client’s arrest. Turner then failed to appear for the second day of his client’s jury trial, resulting in a mistrial, according to the board. Turner then failed to appear for a contempt hearing, resulting in Turner being arrested and fined $500 — which, the board alleged, Turner failed to pay.

In yet another criminal proceeding, a Polk County judge allegedly found Turner in contempt for failing to appear in court and fined him $250, which, the board said, Turner didn’t pay.

Based on the board’s findings, the Grievance Commission of the Iowa Supreme Court recommended that the court suspend Turner’s law license for 12 to 18 months, with reinstatement conditioned on “proof of his fitness, particularly with regard to his mental health, and upon successful completion of continuing education in legal ethics and law practice management.”

The court ultimately suspended Turner’s law license for one year.

Board says Turner now citing an ‘imaginary’ case

Since 2022, Turner has filed several applications for reinstatement of his law license. The disciplinary board has opposed that request, arguing Turner has yet to comply with the requirement that he provide “an expert opinion from a mental health professional regarding his fitness to practice law.”

Last month, the Iowa Supreme Court canceled a reinstatement hearing scheduled for July 31, noting that Turner had yet to establish proof of payment to his clients or provide “convincing proof” of his fitness to practice law.

On July 9, 2025, the disciplinary board asked the court to strike “multiple recent filings” by Turner that the board said contained “what appears to be at least one AI-generated citation to a case that does not exist or does not stand for the proposition asserted in the filings.” The board alleged “the imaginary case” was cited by Turner in three separate filings related his efforts to have his license reinstated.

On Aug.14, Turner filed a motion for immediate reinstatement of his law license without a hearing, arguing that a hearing would serve no real purpose as it is clear he meets all of the conditions required for reinstatement.

Turner argues that in January 2024, a licensed psychotherapist conducted a clinical evaluation of him and concluded he was fit to practice. In court filings, he acknowledges that while the board has relied upon a December 2023 evaluation by a psychologist that raises “concerns,” the psychologist’s evaluation “was based in part on discredited statements from a third party.”

The disciplinary board alleges the psychologist’s evaluation “outlined very serious concerns about Turner’s mental health, including that Turner lacked insight about his condition and that Turner attempted to mislead the evaluator about his condition.”

The board claims Turner has submitted two letters from health professionals clearing him to return to work, but notes that each letter is one sentence in length. “Turner’s letters make no mention of mental health, do not appear to have come from a mental health professional, and do not address Turner’s fitness to practice law,” the board alleges.

The board is asking the court to set a date in 2026 for the consideration of any future applications for reinstatement filed by Turner.

Turner declined to comment on the matter when contacted Thursday by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

(Mike Frisch)