Ousted state ethics commission director Holly LaBerge has appealed a judge’s decision to fine her $10,000, the AJC has learned.
LaBerge's personal attorney, Lee Parks, filed the notice of appeal with Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville on Monday, hours after the commission voted unanimously to fire her.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Sam Olens’ office, which Glanville also fined $10,000, has taken a different route. It has requested a “certificate of immediate appeal” from Glanville, a legal maneuver that basically seeks the judge’s permission to also challenge his ruling to the Court of Appeals.
Requesting the certificate does not mean Olens has decided to appeal, but, if Glanville grants it, would allow the challenge to move forward.
A spokeswoman for Olens said no decision to appeal has been made.
The difference in approach between Parks and Olens would appear to be a matter of legal semantics and a disagreement over how the parties may proceed under state law.
The sanctions came after attorneys for former ethics commission director Stacey Kalberman accused LaBerge and the Attorney General's office of failing to turn over key documents in Kalberman's whistleblower lawsuit that showed top aides to Gov. Nathan Deal called and texted LaBerge in the days before the commission considered complaints against Deal.
Those complaints were dismissed a week later, although Deal agreed to pay $3,350 in fees for defects in campaign reports.
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