DA Willis Ordered To Pay Big Fine For Violations In Trump Case
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been ordered to pay over $54,000 in attorney fees for violating Georgia’s Open Records Act, according to court documents.
The issue stemmed from Willis’ office failing to provide records requested by defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Michael Roman, a former campaign and White House aide to President Donald Trump. Roman was indicted alongside Trump in the Georgia election interference case, which Willis initiated in 2023 and remains unresolved, Newsweek reported.
Friday’s ruling marks another legal setback for Fani Willis in her case against Trump and the other defendants, the outlet further noted.
In December, Willis was removed from prosecuting the case involving Trump and 18 other co-defendants, who face allegations of conspiring to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Georgia. Trump has denied the accusations and claimed Willis is engaging in a politically motivated prosecution.
The Georgia Court of Appeals determined that her disqualification was necessary due to the “appearance of impropriety” linked to her prior relationship with Nathan Wade, a former special prosecutor on the case. Wade was compelled to resign in October.
Willis appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court in January, contending that the court erred in disqualifying her “based solely upon an appearance of impropriety and absent a finding of an actual conflict of interest or forensic misconduct.”
In the court order issued on Friday, the judge ruled that the DA’s office had been “openly hostile” to Merchant’s document requests, stating they were “handled differently than other requests.” The judge further noted that this suggested a “lack of good faith.”
Willis now has 30 days to produce all requested records and pay $54,264 to Merchant, covering nearly 80 hours of work on the case, according to the court order, Newsweek added.
Merchant had previously accused Willis’ office of withholding key documents related to Nathan Wade’s employment. She had also requested records regarding the use of public funds by Willis’ office.
In a separate matter, the Georgia Senate passed a bill in early March that could enable Trump and his co-defendants to seek reimbursement for legal expenses.
The unanimously approved legislation allows counties to cover attorneys’ fees and other legal costs in cases where a district attorney is disqualified due to misconduct, provided the case is dismissed, Newsweek said.
Following the court order on Friday, attorney Merchant stated on X: “Proud that we have judges willing to hold people in power accountable when they ignore the law!!!”
Willis wrote in her January appeal: “No Georgia court has ever disqualified a district attorney for the mere appearance of impropriety without the existence of an actual conflict of interest.”
The appeals court removed Willis from the case against Trump in December.
While the court did not dismiss Trump’s indictment entirely, Willis and her assistant DAs “no authority to proceed,” as per the ruling reported by Fox News.
This ruling adds to a series of legal challenges for Willis. In September, a Georgia judge ruled against her in a case involving an open records lawsuit.
Fulton County Judge Rachel Krause denied a request to dismiss the lawsuit concerning open records targeting Willis and her office. However, she did grant a motion that exempted Willis from being personally named in the lawsuit, allowing her to continue in her official capacity as district attorney.
The lawsuit arose from the Fulton County election interference investigation and involved Merchant.
Merchant alleged that Willis concealed records tied to a media monitoring firm purportedly financed with taxpayer money.