In a striking legal battle, a North Carolina attorney has filed a comprehensive lawsuit against the North Carolina State Bar and several of its officials, alleging violations under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and various civil rights statutes. The complaint was lodged by Taylor Morgan Dant on January 28, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, targeting the North Carolina State Bar along with Carmen Bannon, Kelley DeAngelus, J. Cameron Lee, and Peter Bolac.
The plaintiff, Taylor Morgan Dant, claims that the defendants engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity aimed at discrediting her professionally after she reported misconduct by male attorneys. Dant alleges that her grievances were met with retaliatory actions rather than being addressed appropriately. She accuses the defendants of escalating proceedings against her without due process and publicizing allegations of mental illness to undermine her credibility and professional standing. According to Dant’s complaint, these actions violated her constitutional rights under the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments.
Dant’s accusations are rooted in events dating back to 2021 when she reported serious misconduct by her former employer, Jeffrey McMillion. She alleges that McMillion mishandled client funds and engaged in sexual harassment. Despite submitting grievances to the State Bar about these issues, Dant claims that no timely action was taken against McMillion. Instead, she became the target of retaliatory grievances supported by associates of McMillion.
The complaint details how these retaliatory actions culminated in disability-based proceedings that publicly framed Dant as mentally ill without any disciplinary findings or medical evaluations to support such claims. These proceedings led to an injunction from Wake County barring her from practicing law broadly across state and federal courts—a move that Dant argues was politically motivated and intended to silence her advocacy efforts.
Dant is seeking substantial relief from the court including treble damages under RICO for the alleged conspiracy against her. She also demands compensatory damages for emotional distress, loss of income, reputational harm, punitive damages for malicious conduct by the defendants, and declaratory relief to restore her professional standing.
Representing herself pro se in this case (Case No. 5:26-cv-00038-FL), Taylor Morgan Dant brings forth serious allegations against high-ranking officials within North Carolina’s legal regulatory body. The case is presided over by Judge Shirley with involvement from other judicial figures as referenced throughout Dant’s extensive filing.
Source: 526cv00038_Dant_v_The_North_Carolina_State_Bar_Complaint_Eastern_District_North_Carolina.pdf
