Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat is facing a lawsuit from a former political ally and jail contractor accusing the sheriff of stiffing the company out of $865,000.
In a complaint filed last week, jail software company Talitrix alleges Labat’s office never paid for a biometric and GPS-locating tracking system in county’s Alpharetta jail and has since refused to return equipment.
The controversy dates back to 2021, when Labat contracted with Talitrix to install a wristband monitoring system to track inmates and correctional officers in the facility, also known as the North Annex. In 2023, Labat refused to pay the $865,000 bill and Talitrix canceled the contract, the lawsuit alleges.
“Regrettably, Sheriff Labat and Fulton County have nonetheless refused to pay Talitrix for its work and equipment. Talitrix thus brings this breach of contract action to obtain the funds it is plainly owed,” the filing reads.
The sheriff’s office declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
The lawsuit represents a significant deterioration of the relationship between Talitrix and Labat, once a vocal supporter of the company. Founded by Forsyth resident Justin Hawkins and Republican state Rep. Todd Jones, Talitrix and related entities donated roughly $30,000 to Labat’s campaign following his 2020 election victory.
This relationship, though, became a point of contention for several Fulton County commissioners who questioned the Alpharetta-based company’s relationship with the sheriff’s office.
After granting Labat’s office $2.1 million in April 2023 to install a similar Talitrix biometric and GPS tracking system in the Rice Street jail, commissioners later rescinded the funds when they discovered Talitrix had severely underdelivered on the contract. At the time, Fulton Commission Chair Robb Pitts called the contract one of the worst he had ever seen.
Roughly six months after allocating the funds, only 15 or so wristbands were in use. Talitrix blamed sluggish installation on the slow place of cleaning and repairs in the jail.
In April, Talitrix also lost a multi-million dollar contract it previously held with the county to provide ankle monitoring services through its subsidiary, A&A All County Monitoring. A Talitrix spokesperson said the decision amounted to “bid rigging” and accused unnamed members of the Fulton County Commission of “political payback.”
