Maricopa judge refuses to sanction Kari Lake, saying claims weren’t ‘groundless’
Brady Knox
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A Maricopa County judge denied a motion to sanction Kari Lake and her lawyers over election fraud claims, saying such claims weren’t “groundless,” but ordered her to repay $30,000 in expert witness fees.
Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) and Maricopa County filed a motion to sanction Lake and her lawyers, claiming that her election fraud lawsuit was brought forward in bad faith. Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled against them, claiming that although she lost the case, there was some basis to Lake’s claims. However, she was still ordered to pay $30,000 in expert witness fees. She will not have to pay any other fees.
KATIE HOBBS ASKS COURT TO SANCTION KARI LAKE OVER ARIZONA ELECTION FRAUD CLAIMS
https://twitter.com/EricMillerFink/status/1607832277744259073?s=20&t=tobcEy6k3sSAZ6EbBUf0Sg
“She has not simply failed to publicly acknowledge the election results. Instead, she filed a groundless, seventy-page election contest lawsuit against the governor-elect, the secretary of state, and Maricopa County and several of its elected officials and employees (but no other county or its employees), thereby dragging them and this court into this frivolous pursuit,” Hobbs’s filing stated.
Lake filed a lawsuit on Dec. 9 asking to overturn the election and declare her the winner, claiming that Hobbs won through widespread fraud. Arizona state lawyers called her lawsuit a “fiction,” saying there was no basis for her claims.
Thompson ruled against Lake on Saturday, confirming Hobbs’s victory.
“The court acknowledges the anger and frustration of voters who were subjected to inconvenience and confusion at voter centers as technical problems arose,” he wrote in the 10-page ruling in favor of Hobbs. “But this court’s duty is not solely to incline an ear to public outcry. It is to subject plaintiffs’ claims and defendants’ actions to the light of the courtroom and scrutiny of the law.”
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Despite her legal loss, Lake has repeatedly pledged to keep up her legal challenges. On Sunday, she retweeted a tweet from the Kari Lake War Room account, saying, “no universe exists where @KariLake surrenders this fight.”
https://twitter.com/KariLakeWarRoom/status/1607086164577759233?s=20&t=_QKmKxxxyulXVsZfbDkD5A
Thompson’s ruling that Lake’s claims had at least some merit is a media victory for the former news anchor, who claims that the 2022 midterm elections were rigged against her.