ATLANTA — Judge Glenda Hatchett is facing a court order to pay attorney fees after dropping her lawsuit against former Sheriff Kris Coody and the Georgia Sheriffs Association.
Hatchett initially filed the lawsuit following an incident at a reception for the Georgia Sheriffs Association’s winter conference, where Coody pleaded guilty to groping her.
However, she decided to withdraw the lawsuit, citing the trauma she endured and her desire to move on.
“He poked me in the heart of Georgia, right. And I did not take offense to that. But then he grabbed my breast. Grabbed my breast, was squeezing on my breast, and rubbing my breast,” Hatchett said about the incident in a previous interview in August 2023.
The incident occurred at a Cobb County hotel during a reception for the Georgia Sheriffs Association, where Hatchett was attending as a guest.
Coody, who was a member of the association, resigned after pleading guilty to the charges.
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“We believed that the Georgia Sheriff’s Association had some culpability, some liability from a civil standpoint, because this was a Georgia Association event. There were likely Georgia Association sponsors. He was a Georgia Association member and was at a Georgia Association conference,” said CK Hoffler, Hatchett’s attorney.
Hatchett withdrew the lawsuit because she wanted to put the whole incident behind her.
Judge Massey in Morgan County ruled that Hatchett’s claims lacked merit, leading to the decision to award the Georgia Sheriffs Association’s claim for attorney fees.
The association’s attorney, Kellye Moore, described Hatchett’s original lawsuit as frivolous and expressed anticipation for the court’s decision on the amount of the award.
Hatchett retains the right to contest the ruling, indicating that the legal proceedings may continue.
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