FULTON COUNTY, Ga. -- In another victory for former state ethics director and whistleblower Stacey Kalberman, a judge has ordered sanctions for the attorney general's office and the current state ethics director for withholding evidence in Kalberman's trial.
Kalberman asked for those sanctions after new evidence surfaced that was not produced by the state at her trial.
Judge Ural Glanville agreed that laws were broken by withholding evidence. Glanville wrote that it was flagrant disregard for basic rules of litigation and that he believed these actions were dishonest. He's ordered the attorney general's office and ethics director Holly Laberge to each pay a $10,000 fine.
Kalberman won more than a million dollars after she took the state to court in April.
A Fulton County jury believed her claim that she lost her state ethics job after she began investigating Gov. Nathan Deal.
Months after that trial had ended, a memo surfaced from Kalberman's replacement at the agency, holly Laberge. It indicated that Laberge was pressured to put the Deal investigation to bed by members of the governor's staff.
The state did not produce that evidence in discovery, and Judge Glanville says that was big mistake. He draws specific attention to Laberge stating that her behavior has been "appalling, secretive and dishonest."
The attorney general's office responded to the order by saying while they appreciate the judge realizing that Laberge was dishonest and non-transparent client, they disagree with the order and are reviewing their legal options.
MORE ON ETHICS VIOLATIONS LAWSUIT:
