The State Bar of Arizona filed a lawsuit against family members of the Arizona inmate who prison officials wrongly released from custody earlier this year, accusing them of illegally acting as attorneys.
David Cramer was released in June and re-arrested in August after prison officials said they discovered fraudulent court filings led to his release. He was originally arrested in 2012 and sentenced to more than 30 years in prison in 2014 on felony kidnapping, resisting arrest and unlawful imprisonment charges.
Over the years, Cramer and other individuals associated with his business, Black Canyon Enterprises, filed multiple documents claiming the charges against him were dismissed and he should be released, leading to a warning letter from the Maricopa County Clerk of Superior Court.
Judges routinely nullified those filings until earlier this year, when three fraudulent orders were used to secure Cramer’s release.
Latest lawsuit
A complaint filed by the State Bar in Maricopa County Superior Court accuses Haven McQueen, Paris Cramer and Cynthia Baker of the “unauthorized practice of law,” a violation of rules set by the Arizona Supreme Court.
McQueen and Cramer are David Cramer’s daughters, and some of the recent fraudulent documents were signed by Baker and McQueen.
The lawsuit also names Black Canyon Enterprises PLLC, a business formed by David Cramer years ago, that currently lists Paris Cramer and Baker as owners, according to Arizona Corporation Commission documents.
None of the individuals listed in the lawsuit are licensed to practice law in Arizona, according to the State Bar. But the complaint alleges they acted as attorneys when they filed documents on David Cramer’s behalf, including the filings that led to his release.
The Bar complaint also points out that the Black Canyon Enterprises website offers legal services, including legal support and power of attorney, though it also states, “We are not a law firm.”
“The following are the grounds for imposing sanctions against Respondents McQueen, Cramer, Baker and Black Canyon Enterprises, PLLC,” according to the complaint.
The State Bar of Arizona is asking a judge to order McQueen, Cramer, Baker and the company to stop practicing law, remove any language insinuating they are lawyers and immediately refund any existing customers. It is also asking the court to impose a $2,000 civil penalty against each person.
Obscure legal theory
Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry
David Cramer and a fraudulent release order.
The Cramer family appears to be relying on an obscure legal theory to defend its actions.
In a social media post, Paris Cramer wrote, “The allegation that ‘fraudulent documents’ were used to secure David Cramer’s release is false. Documents were notarized, sealed, and filed in a Court of Record, which makes them lawful and binding.”
She claimed, “Black Canyon Enterprises PLLC, Cindy Baker, Haven McQueen, and myself, Paris Lené Cramer, acted fully within lawful authority, Natural Law, and Article III powers. Every filing was notarized, entered into record, and accepted by the courts.”
Questions and requests for comment sent to phone numbers and emails listed for Black Canyon Enterprises and Haven McQueen went unanswered.
But in interviews with the Arizona Republic, David Cramer and his family said they were operating under “common law.”
They cited books by John Darash, who established the New York-based National Liberty Alliance, an organization that argues “common law courts” are private courts established by Article III of the U.S. Constitution and are separate from the judicial system.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Darash and his theories are connected to the anti-government sovereign citizen movement.