A bitter family fight over a DeKalb County judge’s alleged forged will has grown so messy that every probate and superior court judge in the county is now off the case. The sweeping recusal comes after relatives accused the judge of filing a bogus will for her late brother, sparking a probate challenge, a complaint to the state’s judicial watchdog and a full stop to the estate proceedings while an outside judge is found.
As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, the institutional recusal wipes out local handling of the dispute and has DeKalb officials asking the Atlanta Judicial Circuit to send in a judge from outside the county. FOX 5’s May 20, 2026 report notes that kind of blanket step is highly unusual for a routine in-county probate fight.
According to The Center Square, the judge at the center of the storm is Rhathelia Stroud, a DeKalb County magistrate and the chief judge of the Decatur Municipal Court. The Decatur Municipal Court lists Stroud as its chief judge. Family members say Stroud filed a last will dated Sept. 5, 2025 that names her as executrix and authorizes the sale of her brother’s Stone Mountain home, and her niece has formally challenged the filing in Probate Court, alleging the signatures are not the decedent’s.
Recusal Orders Freeze DeKalb’s Role
Chief DeKalb Superior Court Judge Shondeana Morris has asked the neighboring Atlanta Judicial Circuit to appoint a new judge to take over the matter, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. The decision to sideline every DeKalb probate and superior court judge stems from the fact that the person who filed the will is herself a DeKalb judicial officer, creating an appearance of conflict that judges concluded was too close for comfort.
Possible Criminal And Disciplinary Exposure
Forgery is a crime in Georgia. Under O.C.G.A. § 16-9-1, a person who knowingly makes, alters or delivers a false writing with intent to defraud may be prosecuted for forgery in the first degree. On the judicial discipline side, the state’s Judicial Qualifications Commission reviews complaints about judges, and its official complaint overview explains that the director and investigative panel can screen, dismiss or authorize a formal investigation before any hearing or referral for potential discipline.
Family’s Challenge And What To Watch
“That’s not my dad’s signature,” the judge’s niece, Gemina Stroud, told The Center Square. The outlet reported that she hired a forensic document examiner, who concluded the questioned signatures differ materially from her father’s. The Center Square also reports that she has filed a formal will contest in Probate Court and that the judge’s attorney has labeled the accusations “unsupported” in correspondence shared with the family.
At the center of it all is the Stone Mountain home, which county records value at roughly $244,000. The legal outcome will determine whether the property can be sold under the contested will or whether the document is tossed out entirely. With every in-county probate and superior court judge now recused, the next key development will be an order naming an out-of-county judge and setting probate hearings. The family’s forensic findings and any new court filings will shape whether the fight stays in civil court or spills over into criminal and disciplinary territory.
