In an issue of first impression, the Georgia Court of Appeals on Monday ruled that attorney fee awards in cases brought under the state’s civil RICO statute can be imposed jointly and severally against all defendants.

The question arose when, according to the opinion, defendant-appellee Steven Daniels, who represented himself pro se in the appeal, stole nearly $2 million from his employer, Nanoventions. Daniels, according to court papers, had funneled the stolen money into BIW, a limited liability company for a marijuana farm in California, and the purchase of a house in Cumming, Georgia, with his fiancée, Bonnie Hutchinson.

Judge Benjamin Land, Georgia Court of Appeals. Courtesy photo. Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Benjamin Land. Courtesy photo