UPDATE: 2:11 p.m. — Judge Peter Thompson of Maricopa County Superior Court denied the requests for sanctions against Kari Lake on Tuesday. However, he also determined that she must pay Arizona Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs roughly $33,000 to cover expert witness fees she incurred.
Thompson wrote in his decision that while Lake’s lawsuit failed to prove she lost the race against Hobbs because of some kind of election misconduct, it was not duplicitous of her to sue.
“There is no doubt that each side believes firmly in its position with great conviction,” he wrote. “The fact that [Lake] failed to meet the burden of clear and convincing evidence ... does not equate to a finding that her claims were, or were not, groundless and presented in bad faith.”
Lake will have to pay 7.5% annual interest on the $33,000 until the amount is paid in full.
PREVIOUSLY:
Arizona Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs (D) and Maricopa County have asked a court to issue sanctions against Kari Lake, the Republican who lost to Hobbs last month and refuses to accept the election results.
The requests filed in the Maricopa County Superior Court on Monday come two days after it ruled against Lake’s effort to reverse the election results, saying there is no “clear and convincing evidence” of malfeasance that would have impacted the outcome of the state’s gubernatorial race.
Now, Hobbs and county officials are requesting that Lake and her legal team be ordered to cover costs they incurred because of Lake’s lawsuit. The total amounts to $25,050 for Maricopa County, $36,990 to Arizona’s Secretary of State’s office and $633,935 to Hobbs ― totaling nearly $700,000.
The request from the county notes that before a single vote was counted, Lake “publicly stated that she would accept the results of the gubernatorial election only if she were the winning candidate.” She made good on that promise, the filing says, and dragged Hobbs and the county into a “frivolous pursuit.”
Lake’s lawsuit was a complete misuse of the state’s judicial system, the filing argued.
“Courts are established by Arizona’s Constitution and statutes to resolve actual disputes between parties,” the plaintiffs wrote. “They do not exist so that candidates for political office can attempt to make political statements and fundraise. And they should not be used to harass political opponents and sow completely unfounded doubts about the integrity of elections. All of those things happened in this matter.”
Though Hobbs is just days away from being sworn in, Lake has still not conceded the election ― which she lost by more than 17,000 votes ― and says she plans to appeal the latest ruling against her.
“My Election Case provided the world with evidence that proves our elections are run outside of the law,” she tweeted on Christmas Eve. “This Judge did not rule in our favor. However, for the sake of restoring faith and honesty in our elections, I will appeal his ruling.”
Lake’s attorney did not immediately return requests for comment.