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. The decision came after attorney Ashleigh Merchant, representing former Trump campaign staffer Michael Roman, sued Willis for failing to provide requested public records.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause found that Willis’s office acted in a “hostile” and “substantially groundless” manner by not complying with the law. Krause stated that the office’s actions were intentional and not in good faith. As a result, Willis must deliver the requested documents, including employee emails and communication about payments to outside legal counsel, within 30 days.
Merchant’s lawsuit also revealed a romantic relationship between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade, which led to Willis being disqualified from prosecuting the election interference case involving President Donald Trump and others. The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled that this relationship created an “appearance of impropriety.”
Willis plans to appeal the order, and she has asked the Georgia Supreme Court to review the appellate court’s ruling. The high court has not yet decided whether it will take up the case.
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