Fulton County DA Fani Willis ordered to pay $54K to attorney in Trump case

Fani Willis ordered to pay

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been ordered to pay over $54,000 in attorney's fees for violating the state's Open Records Act and not turning over records as requested by attorney Ashleigh Merchant.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis reportedly has just one month to pay over $54,000 in attorney’s fees, according to court documents.

According to a judge’s order, the payment is for violating the state’s Open Records Act.

This is the latest development in an open records dispute between Willis' office and defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant. The judge found that the D.A.’s office had been "openly hostile" to Merchant and handled her open records requests in a manner that "indicates a lack of good faith."

The judge ruled that Willis must also turn over all applicable records within the same 30-day time frame.

Merchant was the attorney who filed the motion to disqualify Willis and her office from prosecuting then-former President Donald Trump and his associates for interfering with the 2020 presidential election.

Merchant was representing Trump co-defendant Michael Roman when she began looking into a divorce filing by former special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s then-estranged wife, Joycelyn. She discovered information that led her and her client to believe that Willis and Wade might have financially benefited from Wade’s appointment as special prosecutor in the case.

As a result of the motion, Wade stepped down from the case after a drama-filled hearing in Fulton County.

Willis has continued to be a target of investigation and has since been disqualified from prosecuting the case.

At this time, the case against Trump and the remaining co-defendants remains in limbo.