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Latest DBJ Law News
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Davis Bozeman Law is the legal remedy for those who have suffered harm due to someone else's negligence or intentional conduct.
State-wide Reach and Experience that counts
With offices in Decatur, Statesboro, and Savannah and a combination of more than 100 years of combined experience, DB Law is uniquely situated to provide experienced trial attorneys when you need them most. Our primary practice areas are Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, and Civil Rights.
Latest DBJ Law News
LAW360 - EX-GA DEPUTIES SUED IN MAN'S 2017 DEATH AFTER STUN GUN USE
Sandersville — Helen Martin Gilbert filed the suit Thursday in Georgia federal court. It asserts the deputies violated 58-year-old Eurie Lee Martin's rights under the Fourth Amendment, as well as policing policies of the Washington County Sheriff's Office, when they shocked him with stun guns "fifteen times in just over four minutes," handcuffed him and restrained him face-down on the ground while applying force to all of his extremities and back. Francys Johnson, who represents Gilbert in the suit, told Law360 on Thursday that Martin's family felt "the time was right" to move forward with the civil case, as "justice has been delayed but will not be denied." (Read More) | Read the Compliant
ATLANTA MAGAZINE - ATTORNEY MAWULI MEL DAVIS NAMED TO POWER 500 LIST
Atlanta — Atlanta Magazine named DBJ Law Founder Mawuli Mel Davis to their prestigious Power 500 List for top professions in the Metro Atlanta Region. 2023 is a critical year for all cities, but the leaders within the pages of this year’s Atlanta 500 are up to the challenge. (Read More)
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ANF - LAWSUIT ALLEGES ADA VIOLATIONS IN MATTHEW ZADOK WILLIAMS DEATH
Atlanta — The family of Matthew “Zadok” Williams by and through Davis Bozeman Johnson Law filed an innovative civil lawsuit against Dekalb County seeking to reform how police respond to citizens experiencing mental health crises.
“It has to stop. It’s time for the system to make that change. It’s time. No one else,” said Chris Ann Lewis, mother of Zadok Williams. The lawsuit alleges DeKalb County police violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. (Read More) | Read the Historic Complaint | Watch the Press Conference | Other Coverage
GRICE CONNECT - ATTORNEY FRANCYS JOHNSON NAMED CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY OF THE YEAR
Atlanta — Attorney Francys Johnson will be recognized as the Civil Rights Lawyer of the Year by the Gate City Bar Association.
“Francys Johnson has built an incredible reputation of fighting to protect civil rights and this high honor is well deserved,” said Jatrean M. Sanders, Gate City Bar Association President. (Read More) | Watch the Introduction by Attorney Mawuli Mel Davis
CBS NEWS 46 - METRO ATLANTA FAMILY DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS AFTER WOMAN GOES MISSING
Atlanta — A metro Atlanta family is desperate for answers after a woman, who was last seen in Hapeville, goes missing. Yolanda Louise Brown’s family said the 53-year-old hasn’t been seen since leaving the Irish Pub on Virginia Avenue. According to Brown’s son, her 2020 Chevy Impala is also missing. The family, along with attorneys from Davis Bozeman Law, want answers and more help from police. (Read More)
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THE DAILY REPORT / LAW.COM - FRANCYS JOHNSON IS CELEBRATING HIS 2 LATEST LEGAL VICTORIES
Atlanta — A Statesboro attorney who found himself behind bars while defending a client has reason to celebrate. After succeeding at recusing the judge who illegally detained him for contempt of court during his client’s murder trial, Davis Bozeman Johnson partner Francys Johnson has helped get defendant William Marcus “Marc” Wilson acquitted of all original charges.
(Read More) For Extended Coverage of State v. Marc Wilson \ Verdict Form
THE DAILY REPORT - JUDGE WAS WRONG TO HAVE OFFICERS ARREST GEORGIA LAWYER
Savannah — Ogeechee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge's contempt order against the Statesboro attorney was reversed on appeal. Georgia Court of Appeals rules attorney Francys Johnson was not afforded due process when Judge Michael T. Muldrew held him in contempt without first conducting a contempt hearing. Appellant counsel considers reversal beneficial for all lawyers.
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - THE LAST DAYS OF WILLIAM HARVEY'S LIFE: 1 YEAR AFTER HIS DEATH IN CUSTODY
Savannah — In the year since her son's death, Shirley Francis wonders what really happened to him inside that interrogation room and imagines what his last moments were like. She hasn’t spoken publicly about her musings since his death, until now. The Savannah Morning News spoke to Francis, his sister Felicia Shiggs, his son Akeem Davis, and those close to the formal investigation to piece together Harvey’s last days. PDF version of the Story (Read More)
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY - AWARD-WINNING CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY SELECTED AS COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
ATLANTA—Award-winning Civil Rights Attorney Mawuli Davis (J.D. ’02) will deliver the commencement address for the College of Law’s Commencement and Hooding ceremony on Friday, May 13, 2022. “To serve as the commencement speaker for the Georgia State University College of Law class of 2022 is truly one of the greatest honors of my professional career. The class of 2022 has shown the grit, determination, and courage that we need so desperately in this historic moment in our state, country, and world,” said Davis. (Read More)
NEW YORK TIMES - $4.8 MILLION SETTLEMENT REACHED IN TROOPER'S FATAL SHOOTING CASE
Julian Edward Roosevelt Lewis, 60, was killed in August 2020 after a Georgia state trooper stopped him for a broken taillight. Francys Johnson, a lawyer for Mr. Lewis’s family, said that the settlement, which was reached last month before a lawsuit was filed, was only one step in the family’s effort to hold Mr. Thompson accountable. “The family has directed us to continue to push for the criminal responsibility, and we shall,” he said. Mr. Johnson said that Mr. Lewis’s family was still waiting for the district attorney, Daphne J. Totten, to release a police video of the shooting. (Read More)
STATESBORO MAGAZINE - ATTORNEY FRANCYS JOHNSON NAMED MAN OF THE YEAR
Statesboro Magazine released its 2022 Fabulist at a standing room-only reception at Ogeechee Technical College on March 8, 2022. Attorney Johnson was also named to the list of best attorneys and local personalities. No stranger to the list over the years, Francys Johnson has previously been named Best Attorney. Davis Bozeman Johnson Law has been previously listed as Best Litigation Firm. (Read More)
COURT TV - WILSON DENIED IMMUNITY BUT GRANTED 100K BOND
William “Marcus” Wilson, who is charged with murder and aggravated assault in the death of Ga teenage girl, has been denied immunity from prosecution. A judge announced that Wilson will stand trial beginning April 18, 2022. A status hearing in the matter concluded this afternoon. Judge releases Wilson after 628 days in custody on a $100,000.00 cash bond. (Read More)
ATLANTA MAGAZINE - MAWULI MEL DAVIS NAMED TO MOST POWERFUL 500 LIST
What makes this list of corporate, non-profit, civic, entrepreneurial, religious, and creative leaders the cream of the crop is more than their titles or stations at the top of their organizations. It’s the thoughtful way that they have gone about considering their work and the work of their companies—people first. Finding the value in people from their employees to the customers they serve and the communities they call home is what undergirds the organizations they head. It is obvious that they have something in common in that they understand nobody rises to the top by themselves. (Read More)
DAILY REPORT - 'The Judge Is Not the King': Attorney Speaks Out About His Arrest, Reveals Next Steps
"Nobody should have to experience what I did for just doing their job," said attorney Francys Johnson of Davis Bozeman Johnson Law in Statesboro. His law office sits adjacent to the Bulloch County Judicial Annex where courthouse staff know him by name. But when Statesboro attorney Francys Johnson appeared for an evidentiary immunity hearing on behalf of a client in September, he had no idea he’d be stripped of his own freedom after being ordered into police custody. Now the Davis Bozeman Johnson partner is opening up about his experience after allegedly being illegally held in contempt for acting as he said any other attorney would if confronted with evidence not included in discovery. (Read More)
SUPER LAWYER - ATTORNEY MAWULI MEL DAVIS NAMED GEORGIA SUPER LAWYER FOR SEVENTH YEAR!
Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. (Read More)
"The issue for the court is the appearance of bias or prejudice against the defendant and/or his counsel," read a recusal order issued by Chatham County Superior Court Senior Judge Michael Karpf. A South Georgia attorney has succeeded in his defense team’s quest to get a Bulloch County Superior Court judge recused from presiding over its client’s case. Booted from the case, Judge Michael T. Muldrew will no longer preside over the felony murder case of William Marcus “Marc” Wilson in connection with the June 14, 2020 shooting death of Haley Hutcheson. Nor will the judge decide whether Wilson’s Statesboro defense attorney, Francys Johnson of Davis Bozeman Johnson Law, is guilty of contempt. (Read More)
It's not the first time the judge's actions in the courtroom have come under scrutiny. Trouble is brewing in South Georgia after an Ogeechee Judicial Circuit judge held an attorney in police custody without first conducting a contempt hearing. Now Bulloch County Superior Court Judge Michael T. Muldrew has been asked to recuse himself from two proceedings: the felony murder case of William Marcus “Marc” Wilson in connection with the June 14, 2020, shooting death of Haley Hutcheson; and from deciding whether Wilson’s defense attorney, Francys Johnson, is guilty of contempt. (Read More)
STATESBORO HERALD - Nearly 100 lawyers sign support letter for Johnson over contempt detention
Challenge to Muldrew’s ruling pending at state Court of Appeals Nearly 100 attorneys, mostly from Georgia, were listed as having signed onto a letter last week expressing support for defense attorney Francys Johnson of Statesboro over his being ordered from the courtroom by Judge Michael Muldrew and held in detention during a September immunity hearing for murder defendant William Marcus “Marc” Wilson. ( Read More)
"A mistrial is not an acquittal," said Martin's family attorney, Francys Johnson of Davis Bozeman Johnson Law. "We expect that those who are charged with prosecuting cases will do so in swift regard." October 27, 2021 at 03:58 PM (Read More)
LAW.COM - 'Takes Its Toll on You Emotionally': 2 Lawyers in Georgia Face an Uphill Battle
The stakes are higher for two attorneys representing the family of a Black man killed by police during a traffic stop, now that a grand jury has decided not to indict the ex-trooper involved. "We may never see the fruits of our labor now, within our own life, but the goal, ultimately, is that one day maybe future generations will," said attorney Francys Johnson. (Read More)
DAILY REPORT - Attorneys to Walk 60 Miles With Client: 'Lay Our Bodies'
A group of lawyers is getting creative to draw attention to a case that they say is part of a larger cause. Litigators Mawuli Davis and Francys Johnson of Davis Bozeman Johnson Law in Georgia, have opted to exit the courtroom and take to the street with their client. "We have a client ... who has said he's committed to something that obviously does not involve us running into a courtroom and filing a motion," said attorney Mawuli Malcolm Davis. "It involves us being willing to ... sacrifice and be out with him." (Read More)
AJC - Secoriea Turner’s family wants $16 million from Atlanta over her death
On Monday, attorneys for Secoriea’s family filed intent to sue the city of Atlanta, saying officials allowed a dangerous situation to fester at the South Atlanta Wendy’s. “They knew that at least on two other occasions people had been shot,” family attorney Mawuli Davis said in a news conference downtown. “They knew there were armed vigilantes blockading a public street, and they took no action.” (Read More)
GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING - Five Savannah Officers Fired After Death In Custody
Two officers were fired for their role in 60-year-old William Harvey's death, and another three were fired for sharing a meme about it. Two Savannah police officers have been fired for their role in the death of a 60-year-old Black man in police custody on April 3. Another three have been fired for sharing an “inappropriate meme” referencing his death, according to police. (Read More)
AJC - ‘Sarge, I think he’s gone’: Video shows last hours before Rockdale jail inmate died in cell.
The family of a 22-year-old inmate at the Rockdale County Jail said he tried to summon help before slumping down naked on the floor of his cell and dying, according to video released on Wednesday showing the last hours of his life. Shali Tilson had been in custody on a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge for nine days. He died March 12, 2018 from blood clots that formed in his lungs due to dehydration, according to an autopsy conducted by the GBI. His attorney said he had been without water for three days. (Read More)
FOX NEWS - Students tased, dragged from car by Atlanta police sue city
Atlanta police had no justification for pulling two students from their car and hitting them with stun guns while they were stuck in traffic caused by protests over George Floyd's death, a lawsuit filed Thursday says. The federal lawsuit by Taniyah Pilgrim and Messiah Young — students at historically Black colleges in Atlanta — accuses police of assault and false arrest and says one officer dangerously escalated the confrontation by falsely claiming the pair had a gun. (Read More)
Family, friends, and those who sought social injustice reform gathered Friday evening in downtown Sylvania for a candlelight vigil for a Screven County man who died from a Georgia State Patrol trooper’s single-shot seven days earlier during a traffic stop on a county dirt road. (Read More)
The legal team for a biracial man charged with felony murder in the shooting death of a 17-year old in Statesboro, Georgia, last month claims their client was defending himself against an angry group of White people. Marcus "Marc" Wilson, who is biracial, was in Statesboro visiting his girlfriend, who is White. The two were driving on their way home from Taco Bell around 12:30 a.m. ET on June 14 when they claim they were harassed by a group of White men in a truck yelling racial slurs at them, according to Wilson's lawyers. (Read More)
In 2017, Eurie Martin, a Black man, was tased and pinned by 3 white deputies in Deepstep, Georgia, an encounter that resulted in his death. The case ended in a mistrial this October, and few outside of central Georgia likely ever heard about it. (Read More)
Georgia’s U.S. senators name Francys Johnson to nominations advice panel
Law partner Davis and protégé Woodall also get nod. Georgia’s two U.S. senators recently appointed a commission to advise them on nominations to federal court judgeships and U.S. attorney and U.S. marshal vacancies, and Statesboro-based attorney and minister Francys Johnson is among the 16 people named to the commission.(Read More)
Jury finds Kareem Butler not-guilty in 2019 Lanier Drive ‘crossfire’ shooting incident
Attorney Johnson: Client shown to have acted in self-defense. Kareem Levon Butler, one of two men originally charged in a July 2019 exchange of gunfire that wounded two other men at an apartment complex on Statesboro’s Lanier Drive, was acquitted of all charges Oct. 6, 2021, by a Bulloch County Superior Court jury. (Read More)
