Fani Willis’ Attempt To Withhold Paying Trump $16M In Legal Fees Denied

The ruling sets the stage for the next phase of litigation in the once-expansive racketeering case.

Fulton County (GA) District Attorney Fani Willis and her office were not able to avoid paying nearly $17 million in legal fees requested by President Donald Trump and his co-defendants.

On March 9, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee denied Willis’ bid to avoid the payment, ruling that her office remains disqualified from the case, CBS News reports. He did allow Fulton County to join the dispute over the 14 former defendants—including Trump—who are now seeking $16,853,810.28 in attorneys’ fees and costs under a newly enacted Georgia law that permits defendants to recover expenses when a prosecutor is disqualified.

The ruling sets the stage for the next phase of litigation in the once-expansive racketeering case, which unraveled after prosecutors dropped charges against Trump and several of his allies following Willis and her office’s disqualification over conflicts of interest. McAfee’s order also makes clear that Willis and her office cannot take part in the dispute moving forward due to their removal from the case.

“Because the FCDA’s interests are adequately represented by the State, and as the office was ‘wholly disqualified,’ the motion to intervene is denied,” McAfee wrote.

Although Willis has been barred from participating, Fulton County will be allowed to enter the dispute. The judge reached a different conclusion regarding the county as a corporate entity, noting that because it provides the “overwhelming source of funding” for the district attorney’s office, the “financial buck” for the $16.8 million demand would likely fall to the county.

“Novelty abounds,” McAfee wrote, adding that the court must now navigate largely uncharted procedural territory to determine whether the $16.8 million in requested fees, spanning 14 different defendants, is reasonable.

The Georgia election interference case against Trump and several co-defendants, first brought as a sweeping racketeering indictment in August 2023, has now reached “judicial finality” after its dismissal in late 2025. The prosecution collapsed following a series of appeals, disqualifications, and jurisdictional challenges after Trump’s re-election.

The case ultimately unraveled after Willis was removed over an “appearance of impropriety” tied to her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Although the matter was briefly transferred to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, special prosecutor Peter Skandalakis later dropped all charges, citing the interests of justice and the legal immunity of a sitting president.