A former Democrat in the Georgia legislature has come forward with a lawsuit claiming that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis failed in her duties to protect the lawmaker from a stalker.
Mesha Mainor, who represents parts of Atlanta, has filed suit against Willis, County Commissioner Marvin Arrington, the Fulton County Ethics Board, and the county itself over what she claims is a dereliction of duties in handling her 2019 incident involving a former campaign staffer who repeatedly stalked her. Mainor last year switched her party registration to Republican, stating at the time she could not abide by “left-wing radicalism, lawlessness, and putting the interests of illegal aliens over the interest of Americans.”
A spokesperson for Willis has not commented on the litigation, according to Newsweek.
After being elected in 2020, Willis became responsible for overseeing Mainor’s case against Corwin Monson, a campaign volunteer she hired in January 2019 after he “assured” her he could help get her elected. She was “forced to terminate” Monson’s employment just a month later after witnessing his “unruly, belligerent behavior.”
Afterward, Mainor allegedly suffered months of repeated stalking by Monson, who showed up uninvited to campaign and church events and even appeared out front of her house one night with an unsolicited marriage proposal. The two have never been romantically involved.
By August of 2019, Mainor sought and obtained a Temporary Protective Order (TPO) against Monson. In September 2019 and September 2020, he was twice charged with violating the TPO and faced up to 20 years in prison after facing an aggravated assault charge in January 2021.
In her suit, Mainor alleges that Arrington, a lawyer who represented Monson, “used his influence to circumvent the office policies of the District Attorney’s office” by copying Willis on emails about the case. Arrington is also alleged to have told Willis “that b**** is crazy” in reference to Mainor.
As a result, Mainor claims, Willis downgraded charges against Monson, dismissing one of the aggravated stalking charges and offering him a three-year plea deal with just one year in prison.
“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.”
In 2021, The county’s Ethics Board terminated an investigation into Arrington initiated by Mainor.
Monson, who was released from prison in November 2021, then allegedly began to stalk Mainor again.
The lawmaker is seeking compensatory and consequential damages, including damages for emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, and other pain and suffering.
Willis has been under fire for months since initial revelations that she carried on a romantic relationship with a subordinate attorney whom she hired and paid $700,000 to join her criminal case against former President Donald Trump and numerous codefendants. During that time, Willis has also been dealt with investigations by the U.S. House of Representatives and Georgia Senate into her conduct and use of state and federal resources. Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, in March established a committee tasked with ousting activist district attorneys.