Federal judge accused of assaulting his wife is going into treatment, his lawyer says
A federal judge accused of assaulting his wife at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta will check into a treatment program, according to his lawyer.
U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller of Montgomery, Alabama, is embarrassed about the episode, his lawyer, Barry Ragsdale, told the Associated Press and the Daily Report (sub. req.). Ragsdale told AP that Fuller will check into a treatment program within a few days.
Ragsdale didn’t identify the type of program, other than to say it is one “that is best for his situation and circumstances,” according to AP.
Fuller’s wife told police that the judge pulled her to the ground, kicked her, dragged her around the hotel room and hit her in the mouth. The woman said the argument began when she confronted Fuller about her belief that he was having an affair with a law clerk. He was arrested Aug. 10 and charged with misdemeanor battery.
Fuller is not with his wife at home, Ragsdale told AP.
Fuller’s cases have been reassigned. U.S. Circuit Judge Gerald Tjoflat, acting as chief judge of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has initiated a complaint that begins a disciplinary investigation. Ragsdale is representing Fuller in the complaint. Former prosecutor Jeffrey Brickman represents Fuller on the criminal charge, according to the Daily Report.
