Former Fulton County DA Paul Howard found not guilty

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - In a swift resolution to the federal case against former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, a jury, comprised of 8 men and 4 women, delivered their verdict after a day and a half of testimony. Howard faced accusations of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

Howard was found not guilty on Dec. 15 of the charges leveled against him by former employee Cathy Carter. 

Paul Howard in court Dec. 14, 2023.

During the trial, Howard took the stand in his defense, and the defense called two witnesses: Ronnie Dixon, a former deputy district attorney in 2019, and Lenny Nelson, Howard's chief of staff at the time. Nelson testified that Carter had issues being punctual for work and was subsequently placed on administrative leave. According to Nelson, Carter was required to report and sign into her office daily at the directive of Howard. Carter's lawyers argued that this directive demonstrated an abuse of power, asserting that no one else faced such requirements.

Closing arguments took place Friday morning, with the jury taking control of the case at 1:05 p.m. A few hours later, around 3:45 to 3:50 p.m., they reached the verdict of not guilty. Notably, this was a civil case, not a criminal trial, meaning that a favorable outcome for the plaintiff would have entailed discussions of monetary compensation.

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Howard served as district attorney for Fulton County for approximately 24 years.