Software company sues Fulton County sheriff for breach of contract

June 4th, 2024

Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat speaks at a press conference and rally held by the family of LaShawn Thompson at Fulton County Jail on April 30, 2023. Labat is being sued by Alpharetta-based software company Talitrix. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

A former campaign donor has filed a lawsuit against Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat for money owed on technology installed at the county’s jail in Alpharetta.

The dispute, filed in Fulton County Superior Court on May 30, stems from questions raised by some county commissioners about Labat’s relationship with the Alpharetta-based software company Talitrix.

Last year, commissioners voted to take back $2.1 million in emergency funding to improve jail conditions in light of a string of in-custody deaths after allegations were raised that Labat had received thousands of dollars in political contributions either from Talitrix employees, spouses or related entities for his 2020 election.

Labat had already hired the company to provide health tracking wristbands for inmates and correctional officers at the North Fulton County Jail in Alpharetta in 2021 and recently agreed to a new contract for the main jail on Rice Street, which commissioners also say Talitrix failed to meet expectations on, rolling out only about 15 wristbands in six months out of the 1,000 that were promised.

Then-Fulton County Vice Chair Bob Ellis alleged Talitrix had not gone through a formal bidding process before reaching a deal with Labat’s office and said at a public meeting in October of last year that he had only recently learned about another contract the sheriff had with the company for ankle monitors.

Since raising his concerns, Ellis said he had received threatening texts from who he believed to be the CEO of Talitrix, Justin Hawkins, or someone posing as him.

Labat denied any wrongdoing, but Chair Robb Pitts still called to pull the funding.

“This is probably one of the worst contracts in my many years of public service that I’ve had anything to do with,” Pitts said.

At the time, it was unclear what would happen to the system’s infrastructure that was already in place at the Alpharetta jail.

According to the lawsuit, Labat in his official capacity as sheriff of Fulton County never paid Talitrix the $865,000 bill for that work, and the company canceled the contract.

Labat has 30 days to respond.

As of Tuesday, online court records show he has not filed any paperwork.