MEMPHIS, TN - With domestic violence charges hanging over her head, Memphis City Council member Janis Fullilove was in court Thursday.
She's accused of domestic assault. She and her husband Vernon Chalmers got into a fight in August.
“We're hoping that we can come up with a resolution that works for everybody, that means the state of Tennessee and my client, and so we're still in negotiations. We would love to have the case dropped,” said Art Horne, Fullilove’s lawyer.
Neither Fullilove nor Chalmers want to see the other prosecuted. But it's not certain the District Attorney's office will budge.
“I think they want both parties to get some kind of counseling, which I don't think that's a bad idea,” Horne said.
During their last court appearance, their lawyers tried to persuade a judge to allow the couple to live in the same home. Right now they cannot have any contact with one another. Chalmers has a heart condition and Fullilove is his primary caretaker.
“I just think they want the case resolved as quickly as possible,” Horne said.
Both were jailed after a fight in their Whitehaven home. Police say Fullilove accused her husband of cheating and threw dishes at him. Chalmers told police he pushed her to the ground.
The couple is due in court again in December. If defense lawyers and the DA’s office cannot workout a deal before then, the couple will spend the Thanksgiving holiday apart.
