Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been mandated to pay over $54,000 in attorney fees for breaching Georgia’s Open Records Act, as stated in court documents.
The issue arose when Willis’ office failed to supply records requested by defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Michael Roman, a former aide to President Donald Trump. Roman was indicted alongside Trump in the ongoing Georgia election interference case initiated by Willis in 2023, as reported by Newsweek.
The ruling issued on Friday marks another challenge for Fani Willis in her prosecution of Trump and the other defendants, according to the outlet.
In December, Willis was removed from the case involving Trump and 18 co-defendants accused of conspiring to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory in Georgia. Trump has denied the allegations and claimed that Willis is conducting a politically motivated attack. The Georgia Court of Appeals determined that her disqualification was warranted due to the “appearance of impropriety” linked to her prior relationship with Nathan Wade, a former special prosecutor on the case, who resigned in October.
In January, Willis appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court, contending that the disqualification was unjustified as it was based solely on an appearance of impropriety without evidence of an actual conflict of interest or forensic misconduct.
In the court order issued on Friday, the judge noted that the DA’s office had been “openly hostile” towards Merchant’s document requests, indicating that they were “managed differently than other requests.” This behavior suggested a “lack of good faith.” Willis is now required to provide all requested records within 30 days and to pay $54,264 to Merchant, which accounts for nearly 80 hours of work on the case, as reported by Newsweek.
Merchant had previously accused Willis’ office of withholding essential documents related to Nathan Wade’s employment.In a recent development, the Georgia Senate approved a bill in early March that may permit Trump and his co-defendants to request reimbursement for their legal fees.
The legislation, which received unanimous support, allows counties to pay for attorneys’ fees and other legal expenses in situations where a district attorney is disqualified due to misconduct, as long as the case is dismissed, according to Newsweek.
In response to the court order issued on Friday, attorney Merchant expressed on X: “I am proud that we have judges willing to hold those in power accountable when they disregard the law!!!”
In her appeal from January, Willis stated: “No Georgia court has ever disqualified a district attorney solely for the appearance of impropriety without an actual conflict of interest.” The appeals court had removed Willis from the case against Trump in December.
While the court did not dismiss Trump’s indictment entirely, the ruling indicated that Willis and the assistant district attorneys in her office now lack the authority to proceed, as reported by Fox News.
This marks the latest setback for Willis in a series of legal challenges. In September, a Georgia judge ruled against her in a case related to an open records lawsuit.Fulton County Judge Rachel Krause rejected a motion to dismiss a lawsuit concerning open records that targets Willis and her office. However, she approved a motion that allows Willis to avoid being personally named in the lawsuit, enabling her to continue her role as district attorney in an official capacity.
This lawsuit originated from the investigation into election interference in Fulton County and pertains to Merchant’s claims. Merchant accused Willis of withholding documents related to a media monitoring company that was purportedly financed with taxpayer funds.
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