Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has another legal problem on her hands as her RICO-slash-election interference case against former President Donald Trump, and more than a dozen other GOP figures seem to be on the verge of collapsing.
According to Newsweek, Willis is facing a lawsuit from Georgia state Rep. Mesha Mainor, a Democrat-turned-Republican who “alleges that Willis, Commissioner Marvin Arrington, the Fulton County Ethics Board and the county itself were derelict in its duties to properly litigate a criminal case in which Mainor was repeatedly stalked by a former friend and political associate.”
Mainor, who secured a substantial victory in the 2020 election from the constituents of House District 56 in the Democratic stronghold of Atlanta, garnered attention last July when she made headlines by switching parties and officially aligning herself with the Republican Party. She stated at the time that she could no longer morally align with the Democrats’ “left-wing radicalism, lawlessness, and prioritization of the interests of illegal aliens over those of Americans.”
On April 2, Mainor filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court. The lawsuit states that in January 2019, she hired a man named Corwin Monson as a campaign volunteer. The two had been described as associates for several years and shared many mutual friends. He “assured” the then-Democratic candidate he could help her get elected, though one month later she was “forced to terminate” him after she witnessed “his unruly, belligerent behavior.”
Newsweek adds:
It allegedly led to repeated displays of stalking in a variety of forms, including Monson showing up uninvited to campaign or church events; sitting outside her home; calling her from different phone numbers and leaving voicemails; and even coming to her home to propose to her in front of her minor children. Monson was “in love” with Mainor, according to the suit, despite a romantic relationship never having taken place.
In August 2019, Mainor filed a Temporary Protective Order (TPO) against Monson that was granted by a judge. He was arrested in September 2019 and September 2020 for violating the TPO and was indicted by Fulton County for aggravated stalking after the second incident.
A second aggravated assault charge in January 2021 led to Monson facing a potential sentence of 20 years in prison. The lawsuit alleges that Arrington, who defended Monson in a legal capacity, “used his influence to circumvent the office policies of the District Attorney’s office,” like copying the district attorney on emails, directly negotiating plea deals, and demanding meetings.
Arrington is also accused of referring to Mainor as “that b**** is crazy” in conversation with Willis, suggesting that Mainor used her influence to sway Willis. Following Willis’s inauguration in January 2021, she assumed responsibility for the Monson case. She reportedly dismissed one of his aggravated stalking cases. On the other charge, she offered a plea of three years with one year served in prison and the rest probation.
Mainor said that she was never informed of the plea deals, which is a violation of the Georgia Crime Victims Bill of Rights. “Furthermore, due to DA Willis’ bias towards Mr. Arrington, Plaintiff Mainor has experienced disparate treatment under the law as a victim,” the suit states. “Plaintiff Mainor has been forced to advocate for herself and her safety, although that is the District Attorney’s role.”
The Fulton County Ethics Board intervened in October 2020 after Mainor filed a complaint against Arrington. However, for reasons unrelated to Mainor’s allegations, the Board closed the complaint in March 2021. Following his release from prison in November 2021, Monson purportedly resumed stalking Mainor, Newsweek reported.
Trouble has been brewing for Willis over the past few months, impacting her RICO case against former President Donald Trump. In a recent development, Judge Scott McAfee, overseeing the case, directed Willis to either dismiss the attorney she had hired, Nathan Wade, due to their romantic involvement, or to remove herself and her entire office from the case. Wade resigned the same day, but there are other issues with Willis pending before McAfee’s court.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.