A magistrate judge rejected a campaign consultant's claim during a bench trial that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Belinda Edwards stiffed him on a $5,000 election bonus.

Dan Young claimed he was recruited to serve as Edwards' campaign manager last year and agreed to accept a lower rate than his usual pay in return for the $5,000 bonus if Edwards won.

Young sued Edwards in Fulton County Magistrate Court in July. Chief Magistrate Cassandra Kirk asked DeKalb Chief Magistrate Berryl Anderson to appoint a visiting judge to hear the case, and DeKalb County Magistrate Albert Sacks ruled against Young Friday, checking a preprinted form that Young failed to prove his claim.