Georgia lawmaker sues Fani Willis, saying she colluded in stalking case

(The Center Square) — Rep. Mesha Mainor, R-Atlanta, is suing top Fulton County officials, including the district attorney prosecuting former President Donald Trump, saying they conspired to help a former campaign worker who stalked the state lawmaker.

Mainor filed her lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court, naming the county, the county's ethics board, County Commissioner Marvin Arrington and District Attorney Fani Willis. Mainor named Arrington and Willis both individually and in their professional capacities.

Mainor, in part, brought the claims under the state's Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization statute, one of the statutes Willis used in her indictment against Trump. The state lawmaker, who made headlines when she switched to the Republican Party last year, is seeking various damages, including punitive damages and attorneys' fees.

According to the lawsuit, published by Fox 5 Atlanta, Mainor alleges a campaign worker she hired in January 2019 and fired the following month began to stalk her after his termination. A Fulton County grand jury indicted the campaign worker on charges of aggravated stalking and violating a temporary protective order Mainor secured in August 2019, and a second aggravated assault charge was later added.

Willis dismissed one of the aggravated stalking cases, and the district attorney offered a plea deal for a three-year sentence that included one year in prison and the rest on probation with credit for the time already served. However, Mainor did not approve of the deal and said Willis did not notify her of the offer, violating the Georgia Crime Victims Bill of Rights.

The campaign worker, described in the lawsuit as a friend of Arrington, hired the county commissioner as his attorney in October 2020. In the lawsuit, Mainor said the commissioner "used his influence to circumvent the office policies of the District Attorney's office."

"Fulton County residents hire Commissioner Arrington as a defense attorney because of the power he is able to yield in the District Attorney's Office," the lawsuit alleges. "As a Fulton County Commissioner, Defendant Commissioner Arrington is responsible for managing, setting, and releasing the budget for the Fulton County District Attorney's Office."

Additionally, Mainor said Willis repeatedly allowed her stalker to be released on bond for non-bondable crimes and failed to notify her of court proceedings. She also alleged that Arrington and Willis discussed the case before Willis was sworn into office.

"She never fought for me as a victim, a Fulton County resident," Mainor said during a Tuesday press conference. "She was always in the pocket of the commissioner and retaliated against me after I contacted the U.S. Department of Justice Office [on] Violence Against Women."

Mainor filed an ethics complaint against Arrington in October 2020, a case the county's ethics board closed in March 2021. In the lawsuit, Mainor contends the board "failed to follow proper procedure while adjudicating the ethics complaint."

Arrington did not immediately have a response, and a spokesman for the Fulton County District Attorney's office did not respond to requests for comment. Mainor also referenced the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission, which Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed earlier this year.

"The passage of the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission is a vital step towards accountability providing recourse for citizens failed by the system," Mainor said.