Lee Merritt, the family lawyer for Botham Jean, cleared of contempt charges in Texas

Lee Merritt, the Civil Rights attorney representing the family of Botham Jean, has been cleared of 16 criminal contempt charges after a complaint was lodged about him practicing law in Texas without a license.

“Two years of taxpayer resources were wasted on this witch-hunt and more importantly pulled me away from serving families seeking justice in a system clearly designed to deny them that,” Merritt said in a statement on Friday.

Judge Cynthia Wheless dismissed all 16 charges, including 14 that were dismissed outright before rebuttal. Merritt, who is from Los Angeles and whose law office is based in Philadelphia, faced 16 counts of criminal contempt for practicing state law without a Texas law license.

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Merritt is not licensed to practice state law in Texas, but Merritt has said that he was practicing federal law in regard to the civil rights cases.

The Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee is considering appealing Thursday’s ruling by, according to committee member Leland de la Garza.

De la Garza told the Dallas Morning News that the committee’s purpose was to protect the people by ensuring no one without the required expertise can offer legal services in Texas. The UPLC continues to believe Merritt violated the terms of a prior agreement to refrain from practicing state law in Texas

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Merritt is demanding a “public and full-throated” apology for the charges and said that he and his attorneys are considering filing charges against the UPLC for frivolous claims and may pursue sanctions relating to the committee’s own violations of Texas’ legal rules.

Merritt has represented the Jean family since his death in September at the hands of former Dallas Police officer Amber Guyger. Merritt also represented the family of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, who was killed by former Balch Springs police officer, Roy Oliver. Oliver was convicted of murder in September sentenced to 15 years in prison.