A Fulton Superior Court judge denied a Roswell couple's request for a 12-month stalking protective order against Fulton County Manager Dick Anderson, ruling the dispute between neighbors in the Ellard subdivision amounts to a bitter HOA feud, not stalking.

Judge Jessy Lall issued the ruling July 8, during a virtual hearing in the Family Division of Fulton County Superior Court, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Amit and Tina Mehrotra, who live in the gated east Roswell community, had alleged Anderson was video recording their young daughters and engaging in intimidating behavior near their home. Tina Mehrotra testified that Anderson drove slowly past her while she was taking out trash, backed into their driveway, and made an obscene gesture toward her and their 6- and 8-year-old daughters.

Lall found Anderson did not use any alleged recordings against the family in a threatening way.

"This is not one of those stalking instances," Lall said during the hearing. "This is a history of individuals, grown adults, who have serious beef with each other — beef that has risen to the level that now they are filing cases against each other, filing complaints, and it is still ongoing."

The judge blamed both Anderson and the Mehrotras for their "hostility and animosity" toward each other.

Anderson's attorney, Chuck Boring of Atlanta, called the petition an attempt to escalate the HOA conflict, characterizing the broader situation as a "circus." Boring said Anderson has done nothing wrong.

A neighbor named Rener, an HOA committee director, testified she had observed Anderson photographing neighborhood members including the Mehrotras on multiple occasions in April, according to the AJC.

Wednesday's ruling also dissolved a temporary protective order that Judge Alex Manning had granted June 15, which had prohibited Anderson from approaching Amit Mehrotra or harassing his family.

Conflict rooted in HOA board dispute

The feud dates to April 2025, when the Ellard HOA board unanimously asked Anderson's wife, Maureen, to resign from the board. Neighbors have alleged Anderson's behavior toward board members became "bizarre and alarming" after that vote, according to AJC reporting.

Anderson has served as Fulton County's top administrator since 2015 and oversees approximately 4,500 county employees, including the Fulton County Police Department.

Two ethics complaints have been filed against him with the Fulton County Ethics Commission. One alleges he improperly used his authority to have county police reopen a loose-dog investigation involving another neighbor's Doberman pinschers after the initial animal control report found the dogs "friendly and trained." A second complaint, filed by Amit Mehrotra, alleges Anderson threatened to involve law enforcement in the HOA dispute and engaged in a pattern of intimidation.

The Ethics Commission voted that substantial evidence existed to support both complaints. Formal hearings are scheduled for Thursday, July 16. A finding of an intentional ethics code violation can result in a public reprimand and a fine of up to $1,000.