Fani Willis faced a legal setback when a judge ruled that her office cannot participate in ongoing proceedings related to attorney fee requests from defendants in a previously dismissed racketeering case. The ruling came from Scott McAfee, who determined that because Willis and her office had been formally disqualified from the case, they could not intervene in the current dispute over reimbursement of legal expenses.
Several former defendants, including Donald Trump and others involved in the case, are seeking reimbursement for legal costs. According to filings, the combined requests total roughly $16.85 million, with Trump individually requesting more than $6.2 million. The claims rely on a Georgia law enacted in 2025 that allows defendants to seek repayment of legal fees if a prosecutor is disqualified and the case is later dismissed.
Willis’ office had attempted to intervene in the proceedings, arguing that the law should not apply to the situation and questioning the validity of some of the requested expenses. However, Judge McAfee ruled that the district attorney’s office cannot re-enter the matter after its earlier disqualification. He did allow representatives of Fulton County Government to participate in the case on behalf of taxpayers.
The original prosecution, filed by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, charged Trump and multiple co-defendants under Georgia’s racketeering laws in connection with efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election. The case later faced delays after allegations of a conflict of interest involving a special prosecutor. Following Willis’s disqualification by the Georgia Court of Appeals and the subsequent dismissal of the case, legal proceedings have continued over the question of whether the former defendants are entitled to reimbursement of their legal costs.