Mahnomen County attorney replaced after Minnesota Supreme Court suspends law license

FARGO (KFGO) – The Mahnomen County board has taken action to replace county attorney Julie Bruggeman and will look to appoint a county attorney for the remainder of the term through December 31, 2026. 

In July, commissioners were made aware of disciplinary action taken by the Minnesota State Supreme Court and the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility against Bruggeman. The state supreme court suspended Bruggeman’s license to practice law indefinitely with no right to petition for reinstatement for 90 days. 

In an order from the court, then, Associate Justice Natalie Hudson wrote: “Julie L. Bruggeman committed professional misconduct warranting public discipline-namely, in one client matter, representing clients with a conflict of interest, providing incompetent representation by naming an improper party as a defendant in a complaint and failing to properly serve defendants with the complaint.” 

Hudson continued that Bruggeman was also responsible for: “neglecting the matter, failing to communicate with the clients, forging a client’s electronic signature on an affidavit and filing it with the court, making multiple knowingly false statements to the clients, failing to timely withdraw from representation, failing to provide the clients with a copy of the file upon termination of the representation … and fabricating documents and making knowingly false statements to the director during a disciplinary investigation” 

The county board also learned this was the second time Bruggeman had been disciplined, and publicly reprimanded since 2018. 

Commissioners put her on unpaid administrative leave in July and appointed Jason Hastings as interim county attorney until a permanent county attorney can be appointed.