Stacey Abrams’ nonprofit Fair Fight Action directed over $20 million to her close friend’s law firm, raising serious ethical concerns as the organization now faces crippling debt and layoffs.
Key Takeaways
- Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action paid over $20 million to a law firm co-founded by her friend and campaign chair, Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, for a failed lawsuit against Georgia’s election practices.
- The payments continued even after the lawsuit was dismissed in 2022, with the court finding no evidence of voter discrimination.
- The massive legal fees contributed to Fair Fight Action’s financial collapse, resulting in $2.5 million in debt and staff layoffs by 2024.
- Despite Fair Fight Action’s governing documents stating it “will not be operated for the pecuniary gain or profit of any individual,” the nonprofit averaged over $4 million annually in payments to Lawrence-Hardy’s firm.
- This case represents a pattern of financial controversies surrounding Abrams-linked organizations, with another nonprofit she founded facing a $300,000 fine for failing to disclose campaign expenditures.
Millions Funneled to Friend’s Law Firm
Stacey Abrams’ voter rights organization, Fair Fight Action, has come under intense scrutiny after financial records revealed the nonprofit channeled more than $20 million to a law firm led by her close friend and political ally, Allegra Lawrence-Hardy. The payments, made between 2019 and 2023, were ostensibly for legal services related to a race-bias lawsuit against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s administration over election practices. This massive sum represents a significant portion of the organization’s budget and has raised serious questions about potential conflicts of interest and financial mismanagement within the Democrat-aligned group.
The relationship between Abrams and Lawrence-Hardy extends far beyond professional collaboration. Lawrence-Hardy has served as Abrams’ campaign chair for both her failed 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial campaigns. The two have shared office space and established businesses together, with Abrams holding interests in companies incorporated by Lawrence-Hardy. This close personal and business relationship creates the appearance of self-dealing when paired with the extraordinary legal fees paid by the nonprofit. The payment arrangement stands in stark contrast to Fair Fight Action’s own governing documents, which explicitly state the organization “will not be operated for the pecuniary gain or profit of any individual.”
Friends With Benefits: Stacey Abrams Funneled $20 Million To Her Lawyer | Paul Sperry, RealClearPolitics
A nonprofit founded by Georgia Democratic politician Stacey Abrams to protect voting rights paid more than $20 million to a lawyer who is a close friend and helped set up two… pic.twitter.com/B5zMPspfuQ
— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) June 7, 2025
Failed Lawsuit and Financial Collapse
The lawsuit at the center of this controversy, Fair Fight Action v. Raffensperger, ended in humiliating defeat for Abrams’ organization. In September 2022, a federal judge dismissed the case, finding no evidence of voter discrimination in Georgia’s election practices. Despite this resounding legal defeat, Lawrence-Hardy’s firm continued to receive significant payments from Fair Fight Action. Legal experts have noted that the $20 million in legal fees appears excessive compared to similar cases. For perspective, the State of Georgia spent less than $6 million on its successful defense against the lawsuit, less than one-third of what Fair Fight Action paid to its attorneys.
“Twenty million in fees is outrageous,” said Paul Kamenar, counsel for the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative watchdog group. “It strikes me as self-dealing.”
The financial impact on Fair Fight Action has been devastating. By 2024, the organization had accumulated $2.5 million in debt and was forced to lay off staff members. What was once a powerful political organization flush with donor cash now struggles to maintain operations. Critics argue that the massive legal expenditures directly contributed to this financial collapse, raising questions about whether donor funds were responsibly managed. The situation has become so dire that even some Democratic allies have privately expressed concern about the appearance of financial impropriety.
Pattern of Financial Controversies
This is not the first time an Abrams-linked organization has faced financial scrutiny. The New Georgia Project, another nonprofit founded by Abrams, was fined $300,000 for failing to disclose campaign expenditures related to her 2018 gubernatorial run. That organization is currently under investigation for financial discrepancies. Additionally, a watchdog group filed an IRS complaint against Fair Fight Action in 2019, alleging the nonprofit was improperly promoting Abrams’ political career rather than focusing on its stated mission of voting rights advocacy.
“This is a modern-day Jim Crow,” said Allegra Lawrence-Hardy when describing Georgia’s voting laws during the lawsuit, employing inflammatory rhetoric that ultimately failed to persuade the court of any actual discrimination.
Despite these mounting controversies, Abrams reportedly still harbors political ambitions. Sources indicate she is considering a third run for Georgia governor, and has even expressed aspirations to become the first black female U.S. president by 2040. However, these financial scandals may significantly hamper her political future as donors question whether their contributions are being used appropriately. President Trump’s administration made significant strides in cutting federal funding to left-leaning NGOs like those associated with Abrams, a policy that has contributed to their current financial struggles.
