HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Huntersville attorney who was recently penalized by the NC Bar for sending sexually explicit images to a member of the opposing party in a domestic case has been identified as the lawyer representing three former Mooresville employees in well-known lawsuits involving Mayor Chris Carney.
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According to documents released by the North Carolina State Bar, attorney Charles Christopher Adkins was disciplined after the Bar said he sent inappropriate and sexually explicit messages to an opposing party in a child custody case.
Violated professional conduct rules
The State Bar said Adkins was representing a client in the custody case in 2023. In 2024, while vacationing in Hawaii and drinking alcohol, he contacted the opposing party through Facebook, according to the Bar’s consent order.
The order states that Adkins commented on the woman’s physical appearance, asked personal questions, and eventually sent at least one photograph of his genitals. The Bar also said the woman was represented by an attorney and that Adkins did not obtain permission to communicate with her directly.
The Bar determined that Adkins violated professional conduct rules involving communication with a represented person, conflicts of interest, and his handling of the decision to withdraw from his client’s case.
So what now?
Adkins cooperated with the disciplinary proceeding, according to the Bar.
His two-year suspension began in August; however, he says the suspension was stayed which allows him to continue to practice law.
He must have a third party present when meeting with female clients outside of court and undergo an evaluation by a mental-health professional with expertise in sexual boundary violations in the legal profession.
The Bar said Adkins has also committed to sobriety and voluntarily participated in substance-abuse and mental-health treatment programs.
For clarity, I am not serving an active suspension. The State Bar imposed a two-year suspension that was stayed subject to conditions. I remain licensed, continue to practice law, and continue representing my clients.
As for Hawaii, I exercised poor judgment and participated in inappropriate communications that crossed professional boundaries. I accept responsibility for my conduct. There are explanations and circumstances surrounding what happened, but ultimately none of them change the part that matters to me: I was responsible for exercising better judgment, and I did not.
I cannot change that. What I can control is what I do with it.
Sometimes the hardest experiences in your life force you to take a pretty unforgiving inventory of yourself. This one did. I had weaknesses that needed to be addressed, changes that needed to be made, and lessons that I probably would not have learned otherwise. So I made the changes. I have worked on myself, accepted accountability and safeguards, and tried to become better personally and professionally because of the experience.
I do not expect clients, colleagues, or anyone else to rebuild their trust in me because I give a polished statement to a reporter. That is not how trust works. You earn it in what you do next, then the day after that, and the day after that.
As for the Mooresville cases, absolutely, I remain counsel and continue actively representing those clients. What happened in my disciplinary matter does not change the evidence in those cases, the law that applies to them, or my responsibility to advocate for my clients. If anything, difficult experiences have reinforced something I already believed: when circumstances do not go the way you wanted, you do not sit around complaining about them. You take responsibility for what is yours, learn what you can, adjust, and get back to work.
That is the philosophy I am trying to live, not just something I want to say.
Charles Christopher Adkins
Queen City News confirmed through court records that Adkins represents three former Mooresville employees who have filed separate lawsuits against the town and its officials.
Those lawsuits involve allegations stemming from an October 2024 after-hours incident at Mooresville Town Hall involving Mayor Chris Carney, where he was allegedly caught on internal surveillance walking through the building without pants on and was in the company of a female town communications consultant.
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The former Mooresville employees allege they faced retaliation after raising concerns about the surveillance footage and the handling of electronic evidence connected to the incident.
All three cases remain pending in federal court.
Since the lawsuits were filed, there have been calls for the mayor’s resignation and release of the surveillance footage to the public. As of this report, neither action has happened.