A Black man who was convicted on gun charges has won his appeal because of his lawyer’s “racist” social media posts.
Ronald Badgett had been trying to get a new trial, as he argued that his attorney was biased against Black people — which he said violated his constitutional right to effective counsel.
His lawyer, Richard Doyle, had been investigated by the Committee for Public Counsel Services for his “racist and bigoted” social media posts, according to the ruling from the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
“Doyle also referred to his clients as ‘thugs and bad guys’ and punks, and he used other demeaning language indicating his disdain for his nonwhite clients, ‘suggesting that (they) were criminals,’ ” the ruling reads.
For instance, he shared a photo of two Black men wearing cowboy hats and a shirt and bandana with the Confederate flag —- captioned, “5 minutes after Trump legalizes weed in all 50 states.”
Doyle also shared a poster for the movie “The Waterboy,” with the name and face of Colin Kaepernick, a Black football player and civil rights activist who knelt in protest during the national anthem.
In a comment describing his work defending an Italian national, Doyle wrote, “Happy ending for a harmless old man whom wouldn’t swat a mosquito,” followed by, “I can walk away from this one without feeling dirty. Doesn’t happen much.”
After investigating Doyle in 2017, the Committee for Public Counsel Services concluded that Doyle had violated his duty of loyalty to his Muslim and non-white clients. He was suspended for a year.
Meanwhile, Badgett was facing four gun charges in connection with an incident in Boston. He was charged with possession of a firearm without a license; unlawful possession of a large capacity feeding device; possession of ammunition without a license; and carrying a loaded firearm without a license.
Then in 2018, Badgett — through Doyle — reached an agreement with the Suffolk DA’s office to enter a guilty plea on three of the four charges.
Badgett years later filed two motions for a new trial, as he tried to withdraw his guilty plea, but those motions were denied.
Now, the appeals court is reversing those previous denials — and the court is ruling in favor of Badgett.
“Because counsel’s bias created an actual conflict of interest that was not validly waived by the defendant, we reverse,” the appeals court wrote.
“The defendant’s convictions are vacated, and the defendant is to be permitted to withdraw his guilty plea,” the court added. “The case is remanded to the Superior Court for proceedings consistent with this opinion.”
Badgett reportedly did not know about Doyle’s social media posts until he had completed serving his sentences.
Doyle died in 2021 before Badgett filed his second motion for a new trial, alleging Doyle’s conflict of interest.
A spokesperson for the Suffolk DA’s office said in a statement, “We’re aware of the decision and we’re reviewing our options.”
