ATLANTA, GEORGIA – A 21-year-old woman is suing a Fulton County Superior Court judge, alleging the judge illegally jailed her without cause during her parents’ divorce trial — a move now condemned by a state judicial commission as an “unlawful detention.”
According to a federal lawsuit filed on October 22 in the Northern District of Georgia, Judge Shermela J. Williams ordered Molly Dennis, of Alabama, to be taken into custody “without any charge, warrant, or legal authority” during the final day of her parents’ highly contentious divorce trial in October 2023.
Judge Allegedly Ordered Arrest Without Cause
Court records say Judge Williams was reading her final ruling when she abruptly stopped, accused Dennis of committing felonies related to an event discussed earlier in the trial, and told deputies to arrest her.
“Put Molly in custody for me,” Williams allegedly said. “Show her what that cell looks like.”…