Jury selection is set to begin Wednesday in a sexual harassment case filed against former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.
The plaintiff, Cathy Carter, worked for Howard for 15 years and filed the federal lawsuit in April 2020 claiming she was subjected to “overt, manipulative and aggressive sexual misconduct and harassment.” Carter has said Howard pressured her into sexual activities several times, including in his office inside the Fulton County Courthouse. She previously worked as a paralegal and records supervisor.
Carter was fired in June 2019 after ending their unofficial relationship, her lawsuit states.
An attorney for Howard previously said Carter was terminated after her supervisors learned she had been arrested earlier that same day in Clayton County and charged with assault while carrying a handgun. That case was dropped in February 2022, court records show.
Howard attempted to have the sexual harassment case dismissed, but a judge ruled there was enough evidence to proceed. Several weeks ago, the trial was delayed until Wednesday at 11 a.m., when jury selection will begin in Judge Thomas Thrash’s courtroom at the U.S. District Court.
Attorneys Mario B. Williams and David Betts represent Carter.
“Ms. Carter wants all women to speak up about sexual misconduct that they have experienced in the workplace,” Williams said in a statement. “She has litigated this long, not only for herself, but for women who have had similar experiences.”
Howard was elected Fulton DA in 1996 and served until 2020 before losing his re-election bid to Fani Willis.
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