Attorney Arthur ‘Art’ Horne sentenced 30 days for assault
Memphis attorney Arthur “Art” Horne was sentenced on Thursday to 11 months and 29 days of probation and ordered to serve 30 days in jail on a misdemeanor assault conviction, after being found not guilty in August of rape and kidnapping accusations that were made by a woman he was dating.
Horne was sentenced by Criminal Court Judge Jim Lammey, who denied Horne’s petition for diversion after revisiting testimony from the trial about the night of the assault and the victim’s injuries. The jail time, Lammey said, could be served on the weekends.
Horne’s attorney, Bill Massey, said they will have to decide if they will appeal the ruling or file a motion for a new trial sentence.
“I think we’re going to let this settle for a while in our minds and come back and revisit it probably next week with a defense team meeting,” Massey said.
They are “hopeful and expect” that Horne’s law license will remain intact.
“I think with a misdemeanor conviction and the steps that he’s taken, which have been substantial, that the board will allow him to continue his practice of law,” Massey said.
Horne sobbed in court as he apologized to his teenage daughters who were present for the hearing, the court, his family, friends and the victim.
Named after his father and grandfather, he said they were men who did great things in the community.
“I’ve tarnished that name. And I’ll never forgive myself for that, judge,” Horne said.
“I’m so sorry that I put you guys through this,” Horne said, turning away from Lammey to face his daughters, who were also in tears.
Ed Ryan, with the Davidson County district attorney’s office, was back in Memphis for the hearing. Ryan prosecuted the case with co-counsel Jordan Hoffman, also with the Nashville DA’s office. Special Judge Special Judge Bill Acree presided over the trial.
During the hearing four character witnesses spoke about Horne’s contributions to the community, his work with young people and how the arrest has changed and humbled him. Horne voluntarily went into a 90-day inpatient rehab program.
Murray Wells, his former law partner, told the court the law firm lost business after the arrest and was forced to refund about $100,000 to clients. Horne is now in practice for himself.
Wells also told Lammey that the accusation of violence was not in Horne’s character.
Horne was invited by the victim to meet her at the Brookhaven Pub on the evening of Feb. 28, 2017, where they both drank heavily, ate dinner and played a trivia game. They returned to her East Memphis home where she said he raped and beat her.
Video played during the trial showed the victim running from the house with a naked Horne following her a few seconds later to bring her back inside.
A neighbor also testified that he heard the woman’s cries for help and called police. The woman ran out a second time and was outside when police arrived.
Horne left her house through the back door and later turned himself in to authorities. He was charged with one count of aggravated rape, three counts of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault.
The victim described for the jury a night of violence. She has also filed a $3 million lawsuit. Horne’s defense team, Massey and Kamahil Turner, characterized the victim as a woman obsessed with Horne, who was angry and jealous that he had recently had a baby with another woman.