Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been ordered to pay over $54,000 in attorney fees after a judge ruled that her office violated Georgia’s Open Records Act, according to recently filed court documents.
The ruling stems from a dispute involving defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Michael Roman, a co-defendant in the Georgia election case brought by Willis in 2023. Merchant alleged that the DA’s office failed to produce requested public records related to the case, particularly documents concerning former special prosecutor Nathan Wade and the use of public funds.
In the court’s decision issued Friday, the judge found that Willis’ office had been “openly hostile” to Merchant’s records requests and handled them “differently than other requests,” concluding that the response lacked good faith. The court ordered Willis to provide the requested records and reimburse Merchant $54,264 for approximately 80 hours of legal work.
This ruling marks another development in the high-profile case involving former President Donald Trump and 18 others, who are accused of attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. Willis was previously disqualified from leading the case due to what the appeals court described as the “appearance of impropriety” linked to her past working relationship with Wade. Wade resigned from the case in October.
Although Willis has appealed her disqualification to the Georgia Supreme Court, arguing there was no proven conflict of interest or misconduct, the current ruling reinforces ongoing concerns over transparency in the case.
Separately, the Georgia Senate passed legislation earlier this year allowing legal fee reimbursement for defendants if a case is dismissed following the disqualification of a prosecutor for misconduct. The bill passed unanimously and could potentially impact Trump and other co-defendants if their charges are dropped.
Attorney Ashleigh Merchant responded to the ruling on social media, expressing support for judicial accountability in public records compliance.
This order is the latest in a series of legal and administrative challenges facing Willis since the election case began.
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