Stacey Abrams’ nonprofit channeled $20 million to her close friend’s law firm while accumulating $2.5 million in debt, raising serious questions about self-dealing and misuse of donor funds in what critics call a “friends with benefits” arrangement.
Key Takeaways
- Stacey Abrams’ nonprofit, Fair Fight Action, paid over $20 million to a law firm co-founded by her friend and campaign chair, Allegra Lawrence-Hardy
- The lawsuit the nonprofit pursued against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp was dismissed in 2022, with no evidence found of voter discrimination
- The excessive legal spending contributed to Fair Fight Action’s current financial troubles, including $2.5 million in debt and staff layoffs
- Abrams and Lawrence-Hardy have extensive personal and business connections, sharing office space and business ventures, creating apparent conflicts of interest
- This is part of a pattern – other Abrams-linked nonprofits have faced financial misconduct allegations, including a $300,000 fine against New Georgia Project
Millions Funneled to Friend’s Law Firm
Fair Fight Action, the nonprofit organization established by failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, is facing intense scrutiny after financial records revealed it paid more than $20 million to a law firm co-founded by Abrams’ close friend and campaign chair, 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. This lawsuit, Fair Fight Action v. Raffensperger, was ultimately dismissed in 2022 when the court found no evidence of voter discrimination.
The arrangement between Abrams’ nonprofit and her friend’s law firm has raised significant ethical concerns, particularly as Fair Fight Action’s governing documents explicitly state the organization “will not be operated for the pecuniary gain or profit of any individual,” according to Fair Fight Action’s governing documents.
Deep Personal Connections Raising Red Flags
The relationship between Abrams and Lawrence-Hardy extends far beyond professional collaboration. Lawrence-Hardy served as Abrams’ campaign chair for both her failed gubernatorial bids in 2018 and 2022, and the two are self-described “very good friends,” according to Lawrence-Hardy. Their business entanglements go deeper, as they share office space and have established multiple businesses together. Lawrence-Hardy has incorporated several of Abrams’ companies, and the two maintain overlapping professional and personal networks that create an appearance of impropriety in the nonprofit’s financial decisions.
“Twenty million in fees is outrageous,” said Paul Kamenar, counsel for the National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative watchdog group.
Legal experts have pointed out that the $20 million in litigation costs was excessive compared to similar cases. The state of Georgia spent less than $6 million defending against the lawsuit, less than a third of what Fair Fight Action paid to Lawrence-Hardy’s firm. Even more troubling, despite the lawsuit’s dismissal in 2022, Lawrence-Hardy’s firm continued receiving significant fees from Fair Fight Action through 2023, raising questions about the legitimacy of these ongoing payments.
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
Financial Collapse and Pattern of Misconduct
The failed lawsuit and enormous legal fees have contributed to Fair Fight Action’s dire financial situation. By 2024, the organization had accumulated $2.5 million in debt and was forced to lay off staff. This financial mismanagement is particularly concerning for a nonprofit that collected millions in donations from supporters who believed they were funding voter protection efforts, not enriching the law firm of Abrams’s close friend. The organization’s current financial struggles have been exacerbated by President Trump’s administration cutting federal funding to left-leaning NGOs.
“This is a modern-day Jim Crow,” said Allegra Lawrence-Hardy when describing Georgia’s voting laws during the lawsuit that cost donors $20 million.
This is not Abrams’ first brush with nonprofit financial controversy. She has been involved with multiple organizations accused of financial misconduct, including Third Sector Development and the New Georgia Project, which was fined $300,000 for failing to disclose campaign expenditures. Additionally, a watchdog group filed an IRS complaint against Fair Fight Action in 2019, alleging the organization was improperly promoting Abrams’ political career. The New Georgia Project is currently under investigation for financial discrepancies related to its 2018 gubernatorial campaign.
Political Ambitions Amid Ethical Questions
While there is no direct evidence that Abrams personally benefited from the legal fees paid to Lawrence-Hardy’s firm, she maintains interests in companies incorporated by Lawrence-Hardy and received an $80,000 annual salary as CEO of Fair Fight Action until stepping down in December 2021 to run for governor again. Reports indicate Abrams is considering a third gubernatorial run and harbors presidential ambitions, aiming to become the first black female U.S. president by 2040, even as ethical questions continue to swirl around her nonprofit operations.
The entanglement of personal relationships, political ambitions, and questionable financial decisions exemplifies the troubling pattern of self-dealing and ethical lapses that have plagued Democrat-aligned nonprofits. As Fair Fight Action continues to struggle financially and face mounting criticism, donors and supporters are left questioning where their money went and whether it ever truly served the organization’s stated mission rather than the interests of Abrams’ inner circle.
