The YSL Case: Pregnant Defense Lawyers May Cause Further Shakeup in Trial

Jury selection is now in its second month in the trial of Young Thug, also known as Jeffrey Lamar Williams, and a number of his associates alleged to be members of the “Young Slime life” criminal organization.  The case continues to face unique challenges and delays based on its vast scope and the substantial amount of time that it will take – possibly half a year or more.

This past week, the Fulton County District Attorney’s office filed a motion seeking to have two of the defendants, Kahlieff Adams and Tenquarius Mender, tried separately.  Of the 28 people originally charged in this case, eight have taken plea deals, and six are being tried separately since they were not arrested before the trial started. 

The DA’s motion is based on the fact that the attorneys representing Adams and Mender are both pregnant.  The DA argues that because the trial is estimated to take six to nine months, Adam’s lawyer Teombre Calland and Mender’s lawyer Nicole Fegan will have to take maternity leave before the trial is over, which would prevent them from effectively representing their clients.

Neither client wants to be tried separately, and their lawyers disagree that being pregnant will harm their ability to represent their clients.  Mender and Adams have also stated that they don’t want to be represented by other attorneys.  In a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fegan said that the DA’s motion made them look unsympathetic to expectant mothers and that it would be expensive and possibly prejudicial to try her client separately after jury selection had already begun.

“If Rihanna can do it, I’m sure we can both adequately represent our clients,” she told the publication.

Judge Ural Granville has scheduled a hearing for the motion on March 1.