Fulton County's special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, moved to prevent a private meeting between his former divorce attorney and the judge overseeing the case involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her prosecution of former President Donald Trump in Georgia.
Wade's former law partner, Terrence Bradley, who represented Wade in his divorce, refrained from addressing inquiries regarding Wade's ties with Willis during last week's hearing on a motion to disqualify Willis, citing attorney-client confidentiality, The Daily Caller reported.
During the hearing, Judge Scott McAfee hinted at conducting a closed-door "in-camera" review of the information claimed to be privileged with Bradley to resolve these confidentiality assertions.
In a filing on Thursday, Wade contended that such a meeting "may unlawfully compel Bradley to disclose communications with Wade that the Court has already determined are protected."
"Nothing under Georgia law authorizes the Court to conduct such an examination once the determination has been made that attorney-client privilege applies," stated Wade's attorney, Andrew Evans, in the filing. Evans added that forcing disclosure would vitiate (destroy or impair the legal validity of) a fundamental legal privilege.
Furthermore, Wade's filing argued that the defense was granted excessive liberty to delve into Wade's private life during the hearings without defendants having substantiated their claims adequately.
Amid the proceedings, a longtime friend of Willis testified about witnessing affectionate interactions, including hugging and kissing, between Wade and Willis in 2019, before Wade's contract commenced.
Both Willis and Wade asserted that their relationship began in 2022 and denied any evidence of reimbursement for travel expenses, asserting cash payments were used.
During the hearing, Bradley cited attorney-client privilege for not disclosing the reason behind his departure from the firm he shared with Wade, later revealing it was due to allegations of sexual assault against him. McAfee expressed doubts about Bradley's "interpretation of privilege" given the revelation.
Wade's filing urged the court to refrain from conducting the examination, emphasizing the necessity of safeguarding what he claims are privileged communications between Wade and Bradley.