The Virginia State Bar has suspended Rocky Mount Mayor Clyde Holland Perdue III’s law license for three years.
The case, unrelated to Perdue’s political position, centers on an allegation that he filed and signed off on manipulated information in Franklin County Circuit Court after missing a legal deadline.
- Providing her with incompetent representation.
- Failing to properly communicate with her, not replying to her requests in a timely way and not providing explanations to help her make decisions.
- Making a false statement to the court and offering evidence he knew to be false, while doing nothing to correct the record.
- Committing acts of professional misconduct that reflected poorly on his honesty, trustworthiness and fitness to practice law.
- Engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation that adversely affected his fitness to practice.
In a Friday night Facebook post, Perdue announced the result of a two-day hearing last week, calling it “an isolated case.”
“After a lengthy hearing, the panel recommended a thirty-six month suspension,” he wrote. “I respect the process and the role of the Bar in holding attorneys to a high standard. I take this matter seriously and will continue to address it through the appropriate channels.”
He added: “I remain fully committed to serving the people of Rocky Mount. That work will continue. I understand the trust placed in me as your Mayor. I will continue to move forward with accountability and focus on the responsibilities of the Town and serving as Mayor.”
Attempts to reach Perdue on Monday were unsuccessful. His law office’s website landing page featured only a statement that the site was “offline” on Monday. A call placed to a number listed on that page yielded a message saying that the number was not taking messages and callers could attempt to text. The text was not answered, nor was a message to his Facebook account, where he posted a thank-you message to supporters on Monday.
Filing a falsified date
The case against Perdue began with a disputed will.
Attorney Lindsey Coley, representing the estate of Selby Gregorie “Greg” Venning III, in 2025 alleged that Perdue had made “false representations and inaccurate statements” in pleadings on behalf of a former client, Valerie Venning, who is Greg Venning’s widow.
He had missed a summer 2024 filing deadline, she alleged, and had backdated a document to prevent the case’s dismissal.
By Oct. 31, 2024, Franklin County Circuit Court Clerk Teresa Brown learned that the court’s online docket inaccurately showed an Aug. 20, 2024, filing date. Brown corrected the date and contacted Virginia State Police to investigate, according to the state bar complaint filed in December 2025 and obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Bethany Harrison, appointed last year to investigate the case, had not planned to bring criminal charges against Perdue, The Roanoke Times reported. The Times cited a Feb. 20 letter that Harrison sent to a state police special agent, which read, “Other remedies to address these actions may be pursued by agencies such as the Virginia State Bar who I understand is aware of these matters.”
Harrison said by email Monday that she had seen news stories over the weekend, along with Perdue’s social media post. But his suspension had not yet been posted at the state bar’s website. Harrison said she will need to see what further information she may obtain to determine whether she should revisit her decision.
“Generally the VA State Bar Ethics standards are not the same as the elements and evidence needed to sustain a criminal charge and conviction,” she wrote. “This determination must be made on a case by case basis relying on the facts and circumstances of the individual matter.”
Franklin County Circuit Judge Timothy Allen recused himself from the contested will proceedings in November 2024 after learning that Brown, the court clerk, might be called as a witness.
William Broadhurst, a retired judge from Roanoke, came on as Allen’s substitute and went on to file a complaint to the bar against Perdue, as did Coley, the estate’s attorney.
Coley, in January 2025, filed a motion in circuit court for sanctions against Valerie Venning and/or Perdue. According to the bar document, Perdue did not tell her that she faced a sanction. Instead, she learned about it from the circuit courts’ case information website. When she asked Perdue about it, he told her not to worry, that it did not involve her.
The parties settled the sanctions case in July 2025, with the agreement filed under seal. The state bar document, however, revealed that Perdue, while “making no admissions of fact” and denying liability, agreed to make a $50,000 settlement to Greg Venning’s estate.
The settlement also required Perdue to rescind a Facebook post alleging that the motion for sanctions had been “politically motivated.” Valeria Venning was dropped from the complaint.
According to the state bar, Perdue “admitted to the VSB investigator that he did not inform the Franklin County Circuit Court that the Response to Plea included false information about the filing date of the Complaint.” Nor did he inform his client about multiple aspects of her proceedings, or correct the record in her court file, the document says.
In a written response to Broadhurst’s and Coley’s complaint, Perdue said that a member of his staff had included the information erroneously and he did not read the document before signing it. The disciplinary board, in its summary order, noted that it did not find violations related to his responsibilities to non-lawyer assistants.
Venning’s case was dismissed, but she filed another one with a new attorney, Michael Whitlow.
Allen, back on the bench to hear arguments in January, granted Coley’s motion to end the proceedings. He noted in his final order, filed in February, that the parties agreed that Valerie Venning is entitled to receive $44,000 from the estate.
