Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been ordered by a Georgia judge to pay more than $54,000 in legal fees after her office was found to have violated the state’s Open Records Act. The case centered around a request for public documents made by defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, which the court found was not handled appropriately by the DA’s office.

The dispute originated from a records request related to the ongoing Georgia election case. Merchant, who represents Michael Roman—a former campaign and White House aide—requested documentation connected to the investigation led by Willis. Roman is one of the individuals charged in a high-profile case surrounding the 2020 election, which remains unresolved.

According to the court order issued Friday, the DA’s office was found to have responded to the document requests in a manner that showed a “lack of good faith.” The judge noted that Merchant’s requests were met with “open hostility” and handled differently from others, raising concerns about fairness and transparency in how the public office responded.

As a result, the court ordered Willis’ office to pay $54,264, an amount that reflects nearly 80 hours of legal work carried out by Merchant and her team. The ruling also gives the DA’s office 30 days to turn over all the requested records.