Gwinnett judge’s past bills under audit

Ex-zoning official fired by county faces scrutiny over his work as a defense attorney in juvenile court

Fourteen years ago, Rodney Harris was fired as a Gwinnett County zoning compliance manager, making him ineligible for rehire.

Two months ago, he was sworn into one of the county’s most highly respected offices. As the newest Recorder’s Court judge, he presides over cases involving traffic citations and county ordinance violations.

Yet Harris is under scrutiny again after a tipster in January told court administrators to look at his prior record as an indigent defense attorney in juvenile court and they learned that Harris had billed the county for $1.1 million between 2005 and 2010. That was $60,000 to $80,000 more than the next-highest compensated attorneys.

Harris did not respond to multiple calls and e-mails to his office this week.

Matthew Whitley, who manages the county’s Performance Analysis Division, is performing a forensic audit of the past bills. Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter is awaiting the results of county’s audit before deciding whether to investigate.

Harris’ judicial appointment came after years of work as a defense attorney in juvenile court, where he was as much a fixture as courtroom benches and careworn families.

“I can’t remember a single time I went to juvenile court that he was not there,” said Pat McDonough, a Lawrenceville defense attorney.

The county’s human resources department wasn’t involved in his judicial selection process, so Harris’ previous firing and ineligible status had no bearing on his appointment, Human Resources Director Kenneth Poe said.

Courtroom peers said Harris’ high volume of invoices were an accurate reflection of his workaholic tendencies.

“He carried a bigger caseload than most of us,” said Charlton Allen, a juvenile court defense attorney. “From my observations, Rodney was a very diligent, hard worker.”

Others are skeptical that anyone could log that many hours on a consistent basis. In 2008, for example, Harris would have had to work 92-hour weeks to earn the $240,000 he billed the county.

Former Juvenile Court Judge Phyllis Miller said Harris lashed out at her when she questioned his indigent defense billing several years ago, implying she was a racist and that it was illegal for her to inquire into his billing.

“I don’t care what your race, gender or ethnicity is, you don’t have a right to steal money from the taxpayers of Gwinnett County,” Miller said.

Miller, who is now in private practice, has urged the county to conduct a complete audit of all indigent defense billing in Gwinnett juvenile court.

Juvenile Court Judge Robert Rodatus said Harris and Miller are political enemies, and her allegations are politically motivated.

In many corners of the courthouse, Harris is viewed as a local success story.

He was born and raised in an impoverished neighborhood of Duluth known as “The Hill.” Now he coaches youth football, is active in his church and has sought grant assistance to raise the standard of living for those in “The Hill.”

“He’s not just local boy done good, but local boy that’s done good locally,” Rodatus said.

Rodatus said it is likely Harris’ billing was unusually high because some of his cases lasted for years. Attorneys submit bills for their work when a case is over.

Harris worked for the county planning and zoning department from 1986 to 1997. The county tuition reimbursement program paid for Harris to attend Georgia State University law school toward the end of his stint as zoning compliance manager.

It was around that time his work performance appeared to slip, according to personnel records obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Personnel records show Harris was fired in 1997 after his supervisor accumulated several complaints about Harris wasting time on the clock, loitering in public areas and conducting other business during work hours.

Harris accused then-department director Mike Williams of plotting to oust him.

“Now everyone will at least know that, in my opinion, you are a self-centered, egotistical bigot,” Harris wrote in his response to the termination.