In a controversial decision that is already sparking debate across legal and social media circles, Gwinnett County Magistrate Judge Regina J. Matthews—sitting by designation on the Superior Court bench—has sentenced a woman to jail in the midst of a heated divorce and custody battle.
Harisat Fatai, the mother of three minor children, was taken into custody and ordered to serve 20 days in jail for civil contempt. The alleged violations? Failing to cut the grass at a property she currently resides in and not providing her estranged husband with the security code to that same home—despite his no longer living there.
During today’s proceedings, Fatai testified that she is currently undergoing bankruptcy and that a federal stay had been issued, legally prohibiting actions related to the property in question. Despite this claim, Judge Matthews imposed the maximum sentence allowed for civil contempt and granted full custody of the children to the father.
Court observers noted visible tension between Judge Matthews and Fatai, reportedly stemming from a past political incident in which Fatai attended a public event in support of a candidate running against the judge. Some legal experts are now questioning whether that prior history may have influenced the court’s handling of the case.
The ruling is expected to raise questions about judicial discretion, the treatment of financially vulnerable individuals in family court, and whether Judge Matthews overstepped her bounds given the active federal bankruptcy stay.
Update: Mrs. Harisat Fatai kept a digital record of her dealings with Gwinnett County judicial system and her claims of abuse by her ex-husband Yusef Fatai which can be viewed on her personal blog here.
This is a developing story.
