ATLANTA — A Georgia lawmaker announced a lawsuit this week against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after being accused of "dropping the ball" in her stalker's case, according to a lawsuit.
Georgia Representative Mesha Mainor, a Republican, held a news conference on Tuesday. At the conference, she alleged that District Attorney Fani Willis dropped the ball after failing to investigate her alleged stalker's case properly. She also alleged that Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who served as her alleged stalker's attorney, allegedly influenced the case and the District Attorney's Office since Arrington and her alleged stalker were associates.
"Standing up against political figures like Arrington and Willis is daunting; living in a system that feels broken and corrupt and facing retaliation for protecting my family is disheartening," she said on Tuesday.
Mainor said she is looking for justice as she filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court of Fulton County.
"I would be happy for her [Willis] to admit it," Mainor said. "My daughters are prepared because they have witnessed something like this. I want justice."
In the lawsuit, the lawmaker said her stalker worked on her campaign with her in 2019 for her current seat on the Georgia House of Representatives. When she noticed his behavior became "unruly and belligerent," she fired him.
After he was terminated, Mainor alleges that's when the stalking began. The lawsuit alleged that the man would show up to her home uninvited, leave voicemails, join her church and other instances.
Mainor even got a temporary protective order against the man, which he violated.
The man was eventually charged with aggravated stalking for violating Mainor's order in 2020 and aggravated assault in 2021.
Arrington was accused of using the relationship he had with the man to his advantage by using the influence he allegedly had in the district attorney's office. According to the suit, Arrington, as a Fulton County commissioner, is responsible for managing and releasing the district attorney's office budget.
Arrington allegedly used that influence to get Mainor's alleged stalker a plea deal under the recommended prison time before Willis took office. Once Willis took office, Mainor accused her of favoring Arrington, allowing her alleged stalker to plea for lesser jail time and leading him to offend again, this time assaulting Mainor in 2021.
Mainor also sued the Fulton County Board of Ethics for closing her complaint against Arrington, claiming that the board failed to hold him accountable.
The suit claims the county official violated the RICO act and inflicted intentional emotional distress.
At Tuesday's conference, Mainor emphasized her stance on her advocacy against domestic violence.
"Every year, I have been up here fighting for stalking and domestic violence. I would like for the state of Georgia to make a leap," she added at the press conference.
She also discussed her support for the oversight commission of Georgia prosecutors, a bill recently signed into law that faced Democratic scrutiny. She also discussed statistics concerning Fulton County Jail inmates currently awaiting prosecution after being denied a bond beyond the 90-day threshold.
Mainor claims that Willis is failing to prosecute those individuals.
Last year, Mainor openly left the Democratic party after saying her fellow party members disagreed with her opinion on school choice.
Several other advocates, including community leader and advocate L.A. Pink, spoke at Tuesday's news conference, where they alleged corruption is plaguing the county government.
Mainor encouraged those who believe they have been victimized by Commissioner Arrington or District Attorney Wills to contact her office.
"Remember, victims should never blame themselves for things beyond their control. There's no excuse for anyone to violate, harass, intimidate, or stalk you. Trust your instincts and take steps to protect yourself," Mainor added.
11Alive has contacted the district attorney's office and the county commissioner's office regarding the lawsuit.
The district attorney's office released the following statement:
"Rep. Mainor's allegations are baseless. We have not been served with the lawsuit. If we are, we are confident it will be dismissed."
Commissioner Arrington stated that the latest lawsuit is a "baseless waste of time and resource."
"Ms. Mainor “switched up” on this claim – back in 2020, she claimed that I influenced former District Attorney Paul Howard, yet now she says that I influenced current District Attorney Fani Willis. As we all know, Ms. Mainor frequently changes her mind about important matters. As the State Bar, Ethics Board, and Federal Court have all confirmed – she is not to be believed nor trusted," he added in his statement.
He also stated in his statement that Mainor's claims are "nonsensical."
"It’s as if she believes I just started practicing law in 2015 after being elected and immediately began to do unethical things," he added in his statement. "I have continued my same ethical practice of law since being admitted to the bar in 1996, to my election as a Commissioner in 2015, and even to today. I was trained by my father, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Marvin S. Arrington, Sr."
He concluded his statement with hoping she "gets help."
If you or someone you know are a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or visit here for more resources.
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