Judge Allows Trump and Co-Defendants to Pursue $17 Million in Legal Fees, Blocks Fani Willis from Intervening. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis suffered a legal setback this week as a judge denied her request to intervene in litigation over attorney fee reimbursements stemming from her dismissed election case against former President Donald Trump and several co-defendants.
Judge Scott McAfee ruled that Willisâ office lacked standing, as she had already been disqualified from the case in December 2024 over a conflict of interest involving her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The ruling allows efforts to recover nearly $17 million in legal fees and costs to proceed, with Fulton Countyâresponsible for funding most of the DAâs officeâpermitted to intervene in the proceedings.
The dispute centers on a 2025 Georgia law that allows defendants to recover legal fees if a disqualified prosecutorâs case is later dismissed. Trump is seeking more than $6.2 million under this statute. Willis argued the law is unconstitutional and that her removal did not cause the dismissal, but McAfee declined to halt the reimbursement process. Trump attorney Steve Sadow praised the ruling, while Trump criticized Willis, claiming her actions harmed âinnocent peopleâ and asserting she should face jail time. The next phase of the litigation will assess whether the requested reimbursements are reasonable, a process that could take weeks or months and may result in appeals.
