Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been ordered to pay more than $54,000 in legal fees after violating Georgia’s Open Records Act, according to court filings. The case stems from Willis’ failure to produce documents requested by defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Michael Roman — a former aide to Donald Trump — in the high-profile Georgia election interference case led by Willis in 2023, as reported by Newsweek.
The ruling, issued Friday, adds to the growing legal and political hurdles Willis faces as she attempts to prosecute Trump and his co-defendants.
Willis was previously removed from the election case involving Trump and 18 others accused of trying to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Georgia. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, accusing Willis of politically driven motives. The Georgia Court of Appeals found that Willis’ past relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who stepped down in October, created an “appearance of impropriety” and warranted her disqualification.
In January, Willis contested the disqualification by appealing to the Georgia Supreme Court, arguing that it was based solely on appearances rather than any actual misconduct or conflict of interest.
In the latest court order, the judge pointed out that Willis’ office acted “openly hostile” toward Merchant’s records requests, and that they were “handled differently from others,” raising concerns about the DA’s good faith. Willis must now hand over all requested documents within 30 days and pay $54,264 to Merchant, covering nearly 80 hours of legal work, according to Newsweek.
Merchant had accused the DA’s office of concealing key documents linked to Nathan Wade’s hiring. The Georgia Senate also passed a bill in early March that could allow Trump and his co-defendants to seek reimbursement for legal costs if their case is dismissed due to misconduct by a district attorney.
The bill, which passed unanimously, authorizes counties to cover legal expenses in cases where a DA is disqualified and the charges are dropped.
Reacting to the court’s decision, Merchant wrote on X: “I am proud that we have judges willing to hold those in power accountable when they disregard the law!!!”
In her January appeal, Willis maintained: “No Georgia court has ever disqualified a district attorney solely for the appearance of impropriety without an actual conflict of interest.” While the indictment against Trump remains intact, the ruling strips Willis and her team of the authority to continue prosecuting the case, according to Fox News.
This latest development is part of a series of legal battles involving Willis. Back in September, a judge ruled against her office in a separate case over public records. Fulton County Judge Rachel Krause declined to dismiss a lawsuit involving open records requests linked to the election probe. While the judge allowed Willis to avoid being personally named in the lawsuit, the case against her office is proceeding.
The lawsuit centers on allegations from Merchant that Willis withheld documents related to a media monitoring company allegedly funded with taxpayer dollars during the election investigation.
