MS Attorney General Lynn Fitch no longer representing Shad White in Brett Favre suit

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch opted out Friday of representing State Auditor Shad White in two defamation lawsuits filed against him for comments made on social media about Brett Favre and James Thomas.

In a press release issued Friday, Fitch stated her office became aware of a conflict in the case due to the Mississippi Rules of Professional Conduct, and she dropped the case shortly after.

“Our office determined and still believes that a public official should not face retribution in court for communicating with his constituents through these public methods,” Fitch said. “The Attorney General’s Office attorneys who have worked on these cases have done an admirable job and leave them in a strong posture. Absent this conflict, we would have seen them to their conclusion.”

Fitch’s chief of staff Michelle Williams declined to disclose further details about the conflict Monday morning.

Favre, a former NFL quarterback and native of Gulfport, filed a lawsuit in February 2023 for comments made on social media regarding Favre’s character and the state’s civil case against him.

In 2023, the state named Favre as one of 38 defendants in a civil case filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Service aiming to reclaim about $77 million in misspent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds, $5 million of which paid for a new volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Two other defendants in the case, Nancy and Zachary New, pled guilty in 2022 on several charges, including bribing a public official, fraud against the government and wire fraud, among others.

The first lawsuit was filed in 2020 by Thomas, a professor at the University of Mississippi, who claimed White defamed him during an investigation into whether Thomas violated Mississippi's no-strike law. At the time, White made several public comments, alleging that Thomas violated those statutes.

White responded later Friday afternoon via email, stating he would be using in-office counsel moving forward with his defamation suits. In the email, White also said he was informed Fitch’s office dropped his case because of language in his yet unpublished book, “Mississippi Swindle,” which may call into question the authority of Fitch’s office.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Fitch no longer representing Shad White in Brett Favre suit