RULE 6.5. PRIVILEGE AND IMMUNITY.
Effective Date: 7/1/2026
Communications to the board and its secretary, district inquiry committees, hearing panels, or counsel relating to lawyer misconduct or disability, as well as testimony given in any disability or disciplinary proceeding, are privileged, and no lawsuit predicated thereon may be instituted against any complainant or witness. Except as otherwise provided in these rules, lawyer members of the board, hearing panels, and district inquiry committees have qualified immunity from disciplinary complaints for conduct in the course of their official duties.
Rule 6.5 was adopted effective January 1, 1995, amended effective July 1, 1999; July 1, 2026.
Members of the board, the board’s secretary, hearing panels, members of district inquiry committees, counsel and staff may be entitled to the protections of N.D.C.C. ch. 32-12.2 in a civil suit for money damages if deemed a state employee as defined in N.D.C.C. § 32-12.2-01(8).
SOURCES: Joint Procedure Committee Minutes of January 30, 2026, page 4; September 12, 2025, pages 5-6; Supreme Court No. 20250243.