A jury has awarded $11.3 million to a metro Atlanta political consultant who accused two businessmen of ruining his reputation by linking him to DeKalb County corruption.

Kevin Ross says the verdict is "vindication," but it's only a partial victory.

Ross pursued his lawsuit against defendants who didn’t hire lawyers or show up to the trial, allowing him to win his case by default. He dropped his case against defendants who lawyered up, and he says he plans to refile his lawsuit against them.

It’s also unclear how much of the verdict he’ll be able to collect.

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Former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan speaks on the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. He is running for Georgia governor as a Democrat. (Arvin Temkar/AJC )

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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