South Dakota court revokes former attorney general's license to practice law after fatal accident

PIERRE, SD — The South Dakota Supreme Court has ordered a six-month suspension of the law license of former state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg, citing his actions following a fatal accident involving a pedestrian that brought about his political downfall.

Ravnsborg violated the “professional rules,” according to the Supreme Court’s decision published on Wednesday.

“Ravnsborg's apparent dishonesty regarding the use of his phone, as well as the forensic evidence presented, raise serious questions about the credibility of his statements regarding the night of the accident,” the ruling states. “This conduct, particularly given Ravnsborg's prominent position as Attorney General, reflects poorly on the legal profession as a whole and obstructs the administration of justice.”

It is unclear whether Ravnsborg will appeal. A call to a phone number listed for Ravnsborg went unanswered Thursday. Messages were left with Ravnsborg's attorney, Michael Butler.

Ravnsborg, a Republican, was elected in 2018. He was impeached and removed from office less than two years after the 2020 crash that killed 55-year-old Joe Boever, who was walking on a stretch of rural road when he was struck.

A disciplinary committee of the South Dakota State Bar Association called for a 26-month suspension of Ravnsborg's law license, but the suspension would have been retroactive to June 2022, the year he left office.

At a hearing before the South Dakota Supreme Court in February, Ravnsborg spoke on his own behalf and told the judges that, contrary to the disciplinary committee's allegations, he felt remorse.

“I am sorry again that this has happened to the Boever family,” Ravnsborg said in court. “It's been 1,051 days and I count them every day in my calendar and pray every day for him and myself and all the members of the family and all the people who have been affected by this. And I am very sorry for that.”

Thomas Frieberg, a lawyer for the disciplinary committee, said at the February hearing that members had focused on Ravnsborg's actions after the accident.

“The board was firmly convinced that he was not being completely honest this time either. That he was reacting evasively,” said Frieberg.

Ravnsborg was driving home from a political fundraiser on the evening of Sept. 12, 2020, when his car “hit something,” according to a transcript of his 911 call. He told the dispatcher it might have been a deer or another animal.

Relatives later said Boever had crashed his truck and was walking toward the vehicle near the road when he was struck.

Ravnsborg settled the criminal case in 2021 by pleading guilty to two traffic offenses, including illegal lane changing and using a cell phone while driving, and was fined by a judge. Also in 2021, Ravnsborg reached a settlement with Boever's widow, the amount of which was not disclosed.

At the 2022 impeachment hearing, prosecutors told senators that Ravnsborg made sure officials knew he was attorney general and said he used his title after the accident “to set the tone and gain influence.” Butler said at the February hearing that Ravnsborg only responded when an official asked him if he was attorney general.