Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been ordered to pay more than $54,000 for violating state public records laws in connection with President Donald Trump's prosecution.
County Superior Court Judge Rachel Krauss officially made Friday's decision and ordered Willis to “deliberately” pay Ashley Merchant's legal fees and legal fees.
Klaus said Willis's office did not provide documents related to the employment of former special assistant Nathan Wade, who was forced to step down from the Trump incident due to his romantic relationship with Willis.
The merchant believed that Willis and Wade might have benefited financially from Wade's appointment as special prosecutors in the case.
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified during a hearing at Fulton County Courthouse held in Atlanta on February 15, 2024. (Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Images)
“The defendant testified through Dexter Bond, an open record custodian, that he was openly hostile to the plaintiff's merchant's lawyer, and that the merchant's request was handled in a different way than the other demands,” the court order said.
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Attorney Ashley Merchant will be seen at Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on February 16, 2024. (Alyssa pointer)
Bond testified that his usual practice was to call the requester and receive additional information to meet the request.
“There is no requirement under the ORA for Bond to call the requester about a particular request, but Bond's handling of merchants' requests in this way shows a lack of integrity,” the order said. “The defendant's failure was intentional, not in good faith, and was practically unfounded and troublesome.”
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Fulton County Dexter Bond testified in Fulton County Superior Court on September 19, 2024. (Fox 5 Atlanta)
A merchant who responded to the verdict in X's post Friday said, “I am proud to have a judge who holds people accountable when they ignore the law!!!”
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Fox News Digital contacted Merchant and Willis' offices for additional statements but did not receive an immediate response.
The DA's office is 30 days from the court order to pay the fine. The plaintiff also received injunctive relief that ordered Willis to provide the documents he was ultimately requested.
