Embattled Fulton judge sued over woman’s ‘illegal’ jailing
A Fulton County judge has been sued by a young woman she jailed after the then-21-year-old testified in support of her mother during contentious divorce proceedings.
The state’s judicial misconduct watchdog has already said Superior Court Judge Shermela Williams broke the law when she ordered that Molly Dennis be locked in a courthouse cell in 2023. The “illegal” jailing of Dennis, combined with other inappropriate behavior, warrants Williams’ removal from the bench, the hearing panel of the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission said in early October.
Williams had already acknowledged she was wrong in jailing Dennis but said she wanted to teach her a lesson.
Dennis was in the cell up to 45 minutes before Williams let her out and continued to lecture the young woman about “daddy issues,” the panel said.
Dennis said the action left her afraid and humiliated. She said Williams accused her of committing felonies after she testified she had entered her father’s apartment.
Now Dennis, an Alabama resident, is suing Williams and Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat, alleging her constitutional rights were violated. She’s also brought claims against the county and the sheriff’s deputy who handcuffed her and locked her in the cell under Williams’ direction.
“Judge Williams, an experienced former prosecutor, knew or should have known that no lawful basis existed to order plaintiff’s detention,” says the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the federal trial court in Atlanta. “Plaintiff was never charged with any offense, served with a warrant, or afforded notice or a hearing.”
Williams and her attorneys in the Judicial Qualifications Commission case did not immediately respond to questions about Dennis’ complaint. Spokespeople for the county and the sheriff’s office declined to comment on the suit.
Dennis testified in May before the JQC hearing panel that she’d been singled out at her parents’ 2023 divorce hearing by Williams, who filed her nails and took a call during the proceeding.
“I felt targeted,” Dennis told the panel, adding she was glad Williams had since acknowledged the jailing was wrong.
At the JQC hearing in May, Dennis’ father, Christopher Dennis, testified in support of Williams. He said his daughter is manipulative and it was appropriate under the circumstances for her to be locked up by Williams, who had been unfairly vilified.
Decatur attorney Blue Spruell, who represented Christopher Dennis in the divorce, told the JQC panel it appeared Williams was trying to scare Molly Dennis, though that’s not part of a judge’s role.
Williams’ woes go beyond Molly Dennis’ lawsuit and the JQC hearing panel’s recommendation to the Georgia Supreme Court that she be ousted.
The judge has also been asked to recuse herself from handling a yearslong dispute between Atlanta attorney John Da Grosa Smith and film industry entrepreneur Ryan Millsap.
A day after the JQC hearing panel published its report on Williams, Smith sought her recusal, saying the report shows her ability to judge with integrity, impartiality and competence is significantly impaired.
A different Fulton County judge is set to decide whether Williams’ recusal is warranted.
Williams was first elected to the bench in 2020. She won reelection in an uncontested race in 2024.
In its report, the JQC hearing panel said it had been difficult getting a straight answer out of Williams, including when she testified under oath. The panel said the judge’s jailing of Molly Dennis was inexcusable.
Williams’ lawyers previously said she is deeply disappointed with the report and will challenge the panel’s recommendation.
“If the Supreme Court adopts the Panel’s recommendation, Judge Williams’ removal would be against the will of the voters and a loss to the citizens of Fulton County,” her lawyers, Gabe Banks and Jamala McFadden, wrote in a statement Oct. 3.
About the Author
Journalist Rosie Manins is a legal affairs reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
