The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a Minnesota attorney’s suit against state and private defendants, including Minnesota’s board for lawyer discipline, and affirmed the $50,000 award of Rule 11 sanctions against the plaintiff–attorney.
The case, Igbanugo v. Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, 56 F.4th 561 (8th Cir. 2022), arises from a state-court malpractice action brought against Herbert Igbanugo. In the malpractice action, several former clients of Igbanugo recovered damages from him after a jury found that he had committed malpractice, breached contracts, and violated the Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act. See Cedillo v. Igbanugo, No. A18-860 (Minn. Ct. App. May 20, 2019), review denied (Minn. Aug. 20, 2019). The malpractice plaintiffs were represented by a law firm (Wilson Law Group) established by Igbanugo’s former colleague.
