This Meridian lawyer was disbarred for sexting clients. Now he’s accused of rape

BOISE – A Meridian child-custody lawyer was disbarred for texting clients unsolicited and explicit photos of himself and making sexually suggestive and inappropriate comments, according to a notice published in The Advocate, an official publication of the Idaho State Bar.

The same lawyer is also charged with rape in a separate criminal case filed in southeast Idaho. The victim was an unconscious woman, according to court records.

Richard Aaron Morriss, 50, of the Morriss Law Firm in Meridian, violated rules of professional conduct for licensed attorneys in Idaho relating to conflicts of interest and behavior “prejudicial to the administration of justice,” the notice said.

A complaint filed by the Idaho State Bar, which prosecutes disciplinary cases against Idaho lawyers, detailed Morriss’ behavior with three women who sought his counsel in their respective child-custody cases.

Morriss sent nudes to three clients

The first woman cited in the bar’s complaint hired Morriss in early 2023. She later withdrew him as her attorney on the case because she could not afford his fees, though she continued communicating with him by text for legal advice, the complaint said. In November, he sent her unsolicited text messages in the early morning hours that included a picture of his unclothed genitalia.

“In that text correspondence, within minutes of discussing (the client)’s case, (Morriss) informed (the client) that he thought she was ‘hot’ and stated that he wished she were ‘single’ so they could work out a payment arrangement for his fees,” the complaint said.

The woman reported his conduct to the bar the next morning.

The next woman referenced in the complaint met with Morriss in mid-2021 for an initial consultation in his office. During the meeting, Morriss drank and served alcohol. He also “made multiple comments with sexual innuendos,” kissed her and later sent her unsolicited photos of his penis. She hired another lawyer.

The third woman mentioned in the complaint hired Morriss in early 2023. While he was representing her, they communicated via text message, in which Morriss sent explicit photos to her, including an image of his penis. She then hired a different lawyer.

Morriss admitted to the misconduct during a disciplinary proceeding with the bar.

On Dec. 1, the Idaho Supreme Court suspended his license based on details outlined in the complaint, saying Morriss poses a “substantial threat of irreparable harm to the public.” Later, on Jan. 16, the Court disbarred him from practicing law in Idaho. Morriss first became licensed to practice law in Idaho in 2008.

Disbarred lawyers are prohibited from reapplying for admission for at least five years, and if they do reapply, are required to take and pass the bar exam and overcome the “rebuttable presumption of ‘unfitness to practice law,’” the notice said.

It’s not the first time Morriss has been disciplined by state’s highest court.

A history of inappropriate conduct

In 2015, the court suspended him for five years, with two years withheld, for similar behavior. A complaint brought by the bar at the time said Morriss violated state laws governing the professional conduct of licensed attorneys, including those related to conflicts of interest.

Morriss had engaged in a sexual relationship with a client he represented in a custody case, sending the woman explicit photos of himself, according to the complaint.

He was also involved with another client, to whom he sent explicit photos of himself and took explicit photos of, while representing the woman in a parental termination case.

The court ultimately ordered that Morriss serve two years of probation after being reinstated. He was reinstated in April 2017.

The Morriss Law Firm, now closed, was located at 1120 S. Rackham Way, Suite 300, in Meridian. Attempts to reach Morriss via the firm’s phone number and another number the Statesman found for him were unsuccessful, and he did not respond to an email requesting comment.

On trial for alleged rape

The rape charge was filed by prosecutors in Bannock County. Morriss has pleaded not guilty.

According to the prosecutor’s probable-cause affidavit, which contained detailed reports from law enforcement:

Morriss and a friend were partying at Club 91 in Pocatello, Idaho, in February 2022 when they arranged to meet with two of the club’s dancers in Morriss’ room at the Red Lion Hotel after the dancers’ shifts ended. Morriss and his friend had first met the women that night.

The two dancers texted each other beforehand, agreeing there would be no sex – the four were just going to “hang out.”

When the women arrived at the hotel room, they stripped down to underwear and joined the men in a jetted bathtub in the room. Morriss offered them alcohol, which one of the women later speculated was spiked.

That woman fell unconscious and woke up to Morriss having sex with her. She froze, waited for him to stop and quickly gathered her things. She then woke her co-worker, who was asleep on a couch in another area of the room. Morriss’ friend had left earlier in the night.

The woman said she had passed out at some point and couldn’t remember getting out of the tub, taking off her underwear or getting in the bed.

She called her boyfriend the next day and told him what happened. He encouraged her to file a police report and get a sexual-assault exam at Portneuf Medical Center. When she got to the hospital, she was told there was no sexual-assault nurse examiner, known as a SANE, on shift, and to return several hours later. She went home, showered, slept and went back to the hospital.

While she slept, she got a notification on her phone from the Venmo app. Morriss had sent her $250 with a message that said, “You … Rock. Let’s party again!!!! Can’t wait.” A few words are redacted in the affidavit, followed by: “This is Aaron. Text me.” In interviews with police, the woman denied exchanging any sexual favors for money.

She described Morriss as a “smooth talker” who had “nice teeth.” She said he had told her he was a lawyer and that his friend was a millionaire.

Morriss is charged with one felony count of rape for allegedly sexually assaulting a victim who was asleep or unconscious and unable to consent.

He was initially slated to stand trial in May , but it was postponed until October, and then again to February. Idaho Sixth District Judge Robert Naftz declared a mistrial because the jury could not come to a unanimous decision as to whether to convict or acquit Morriss. Another trial is now set for September.

When reached by phone, Morriss’ lead attorney, Charles Crafts of The Boise Law Firm, told the Statesman that Morris has “obviously maintained his innocence.”