Illustration. Source: Wikimedia commons

A report about an incident involving a federal judge accused of assaulting his wife during their stay Atlanta says the incident started after his wife accused him of having an affair.

On Aug. 9, Atlanta Police arrested U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller at the Ritz Carlton on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta. Fuller was charged with battery.

According to the report released by APD, the judge’s wife answered the door in tears. She had cuts on her mouth and forehead.

“Immediately upon entering the room, there was a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the room,” the officer noted.

He found Fuller on the lying in bed. There was broken glass next to the night stand and strands of hair on the floor next to the bed. Fuller’s wife told police officers that the assault followed an argument about “issues in their marriage.” The wife explained that she accused Fuller of having an affair with his law clerk. She said Fuller pulled her hair, threw her to the ground and kicked her. She told police that Fuller dragged her around the room and struck her in the mouth several times with his hands.

When police asked Fuller how his wife got her injuries, he told them that his wife attacked him after their argument about marital infidelity. He told officers he was in bed watching CNN and she came into the room making accusations. Fuller said his wife threw a glass at him. Fuller said he grabbed his wife’s hair “to defend himself.”

“When asked about the lacerations on her mouth, Mr. Fuller stated that he just threw her to the ground and that was it,” the report says.

Police later discovered blood in the bathroom on the tub. Fuller did not have any marks or bruises, the officer noted. After medical personnel arrived, they noted additional bruises on his wife’s legs.

Police took Fuller into custody.

The judge is best known for presiding over the trial of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, who is currently in prison.

Fuller has faced allegations of domestic abuse before. The Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press reported in 2012 that a Montgomery circuit judge sealed Fuller’s divorce records. The divorce file is, “wrought with accusations of domestic violence, drug abuse and the judge’s alleged affair with his court bailiff,” according to the Reporters Committee.

To read that story, click here.

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