FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat filed a lawsuit against the county government on Tuesday, alleging they’re violating the law by limiting his control of the sheriff’s office budget.
In the lawsuit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, Labat says the ongoing issues with the Fulton County Board of Commissioners regarding purchasing, budget allocations and vendor contracts is an overstep into his rights as a duly elected official.
As sheriff, Labat is one of four constitutional officers in Fulton County, with the others being the Clerk of Superior Court, the Judge of Probate Court and the Tax Commissioner.
The sheriff’s lawsuit says an amendment to the county purchasing policy, via ordinance in 2024, is unconstitutional and illegally restricts his rights and privileges as sheriff, specifically for its “assertion of control over the means and manner of spending of his allocated budget.”
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Labat claims through his court filing that the ordinance was written to punish him and the other constitutional officers of the county and prevents them from lawfully exercising their authority.
The court filing says that the ordinance in question “appears to seek to punish the Sheriff, and other Constitutional Officers of Fulton County, for the lawful exercise of his authority by unlawfully withholding funds from the Constitutional Office until and unless the Sheriff capitulates to the mandate of this purported ordinance amendment.”
Now, Labat is seeking legal relief to have a court rule the ordinance unconstitutional and restore his full authority.
When asked for a response to the lawsuit, the Fulton County Government told Channel 2 Action News they do not comment on pending litigation.
In a statement shared with Channel 2’s Michael Doudna, Labat said the following, in part:
“For too long, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners (BOC) has systematically undermined the constitutional authority vested in the Office of the Sheriff by the people of Fulton County...the Office of the Sheriff is not subordinate to the Board of Commissioners. This is a constitutional office, and I will defend that authority to its fullest extent under the law. At its core, this legal action is about securing the freedom to build a stronger and more responsive Sheriff’s Office that can serve with greater distinction and fully honor the trust the people of Fulton County have placed in us.”
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