A judge Monday said she was not inclined to dismiss a lawsuit claiming Fulton County Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand abused the power of his office.

But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly Lee postponed a decision in the case for at least 30 days while Ferdinand and County Commissioner Liz Hausmann try to mediate their dispute.

Hausmann says Ferdinand abused the power of his office by revoking the registration of a vehicle she owned last year. She claims the move was in retaliation for her criticism of Ferdinand for using a county-owned take-home vehicle.

Ferdinand says he’s done nothing wrong and has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. Among other things, he claims he treated Hausmann fairly – giving her extra time to provide the proof of residence she needed to register the vehicle – and acted according to state law.

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Ja’Quon Stembridge, shown here in July at the Henry County Republican Party monthly meeting, recently stepped from his position with the Georgia GOP. (Jenni Girtman for the AJC)

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