A photo of Lincoln Beauregard (left), the lawyer representing one of Mayor Ed Murrays accusers, and the fourth accuser, Maurice Lavon Jones (right).
A photo of Lincoln Beauregard (left), the lawyer representing one of Mayor Ed Murray's accusers, and the fourth accuser, Maurice Lavon Jones (right). DECLARATION OF MAURICE LAVON JONES

Lincoln Beauregard, the unconventional lawyer representing a man who says Mayor Ed Murray raped and molested him as a teen, has been ordered to pay King County Superior Court $5,000 for violating court conduct rules.

Judge Veronica Alicea Galván issued the sanction today at the request of Murray's lawyers, who argued that Beauregard's filings with the court have an "inappropriate tone" and are intended to grab media attention. The judge agreed today, saying Beauregard showed "flagrant disregard for established legal norms" and that some of the legal team's filings appeared to be "for the sole purpose" of gaining attention. She warned he could face further sanctions if he continued.

Today was the first time lawyers representing each side met in court on this case. Beauregard was calm, his hands folded, as Galván read her ruling. Afterward, he told reporters he disagrees and will appeal on "constitutional" grounds, but also said he wants to focus on the alleged abuse. "I'll write a check then we'll go fight the case on its merits," Beauregard said.

The $5,000 fine comes amid a lengthy correspondence between lawyers for the plaintiff and defendant, in which they argue about whether Beauregard violated court rules by filing letters and subpoenas tinged with snark, and, most recently, a photo of himself with one of Murray's accusers.

In a declaration filed this week, Maurice Lavon Jones accused Murray of paying him for sex in the 1980s. Jones is currently being held at the King County Regional Justice Center in Kent. Jones’ declaration, written from the jail, includes a photograph of him and Beauregard sitting and smiling in what appears to be a visitors’ room.

In his own filing with the court, Beauregard wrote that the photo was meant to authenticate the declaration. “My partner, Julie, told us to smile, and we both did,” he wrote. “We did not have a professional photographer available.”

In filings with the court, Murray's lawyers Robert Sulkin and Malaika Eaton criticized Beauregard for introducing the hand-written declaration, arguing it only serves to gain “the attention of the press.”

“Only the Court can stop this misconduct that makes a mockery of the judicial system,” Sulkin and Eaton wrote.

Jones is the fourth man to accuse Murray of paying him for sex, including Delvonn Heckard, the man represented by Beauregard in the civil suit against the mayor. It’s unclear whether Jones was under the age of consent when he alleges Murray paid him for sex, and Beauregard does not seem to know. “Maurice did not elaborate on his exact age, but he is 2-years younger than Delvonn and indicated it was the same timeframe as the other goings on,” Beauregard wrote The Stranger in an email.

In a statement, Murray's personal spokesperson Jeff Reading praised the judge's decision. "Mayor Murray deserves a right to due process," Reading said, "and it is our hope that the court’s actions today will prevent opposing counsel from further undermining this basic right.”

Steven Hsieh contributed reporting.