Court: U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division
Case No.: 1:26-cv-02622-SEG
Filed: May 8, 2026
Parties:
- Plaintiff: Nadine "Nina" Copley, a Florida resident and founder of Project OneLight, a charitable initiative supporting nonspeaking autistic individuals and their families.
- Defendant: Robert Braxton Jarratt, III, a New York resident who presented himself as a financial supporter and collaborator on Project OneLight.
Basis for Jurisdiction/Venue: Diversity jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1332 (amount in controversy exceeds $75,000); venue proper because the alleged tortious conduct occurred in Fulton County, Georgia.
Core Allegations:
- Beginning around September 2025, Jarratt cultivated a close professional and financial relationship with Copley, repeatedly promising salary, employment, and funding for Project OneLight (including an alleged $88,000 transfer in January 2026).
- On February 11, 2026, at a work-related gathering at Jarratt's Fulton County condominium, Jarratt allegedly pulled down Copley's clothing and made nonconsensual sexual contact with her breast. Copley says she immediately pushed him away and later disclosed the incident to trusted individuals.
- Copley alleges that after she disclosed the assault, Jarratt retaliated by falsely accusing her (in a March 4, 2026 email to multiple third parties) of theft, fraud, and misappropriating charitable funds, and later (March 24, 2026) escalated by accusing her of "wire fraud" and referencing supposed FBI contacts.
Causes of Action:
- Battery – based on the nonconsensual physical/sexual contact.
- Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress – based on the assault plus the alleged retaliatory, threatening, and defamatory conduct that followed.
- Defamation / Defamation Per Se – based on the allegedly false statements accusing Copley of criminal conduct, theft, and fraud, published to third parties.
Relief Sought: Compensatory damages, presumed damages for defamation per se, punitive damages (O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1), attorney's fees and litigation expenses (O.C.G.A. § 13-6-11), pre/post-judgment interest, costs, and other relief. Jury trial demanded.