ARIZONA NEWS

Kari Lake’s lawyers fined in failed Arizona election lawsuit

May 5, 2023, 6:08 AM | Updated: 6:09 am

Former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Karie Lake attends the National Prayer Breakfast ...

Former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Karie Lake attends the National Prayer Breakfast at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 2, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

(Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

PHOENIX (AP) — Republican Kari Lake’s lawyers were sanctioned $2,000 Thursday by the Arizona Supreme Court in their unsuccessful challenge of her defeat in the governor’s race last year to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

In an order, the state’s highest court said Lake’s attorney made “false factual statements” that more than 35,000 ballots had been improperly added to the total ballot count. The court, however, refused to order Lake to pay attorney fees to cover the costs of defending Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes in Lake’s appeal.

Chief Justice Robert Brutinel cited Lake’s challenge over signature verification remains unresolved.

Hobbs and Fontes said Lake and her attorneys should face sanctions for baselessly claiming that over 35,000 ballots were inserted into the race at a facility where a contractor scanned mail-in ballots to prepare them for county election workers to process and count.

When the high court first confronted Lake’s challenge in late March, justices said the evidence doesn’t show that over 35,000 ballots were added to the vote count in Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of the state’s voters.

Lawyers for Hobbs and Fontes told the court that Lake and her lawyers misrepresented evidence and are hurting the elections process by continuing to push baseless claims of election fraud. Attorneys for Fontes asked for the court to order Lake’s lawyers to forfeit any money they might have earned in making the appeal, arguing that they shouldn’t be allowed to benefit from their own misconduct.

Lake’s lawyers said sanctions weren’t appropriate because no one can doubt that Lake honestly believes her race was determined by electoral misconduct.

Lake, who lost to Hobbs by just over 17,000 votes, was among the most vocal 2022 Republican candidates promoting former President Donald Trump’s election lies, which she made the centerpiece of her campaign. While most other election deniers around the country conceded after losing their races in November, Lake did not.

In her challenge, Lake focused on problems with ballot printers at some polling places in Maricopa County.

The defective printers produced ballots that were too light to be read by the on-site tabulators at polling places. Lines backed up in some areas amid the confusion. Lake alleged ballot printer problems were the result of intentional misconduct.

County officials say everyone had a chance to vote and all ballots were counted because those affected by the printers were taken to more sophisticated counters at election headquarters.

The state Supreme Court declined on March 22 to hear nearly all of Lake’s appeal, saying there was no evidence that 35,000 ballots were added to vote totals.

Still, the high court revived Lake’s claim that challenged the application of signature verification procedures on early ballots in Maricopa County. The court sent the claim back to a lower-court judge to consider. The issue has yet to be litigated.

In mid-February, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Lake’s assertions, concluding she presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote.

Lake’s attorneys said the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility where a contractor scans mail-in ballots to prepare them for processing. The lawyers asserted that workers put their own mail-in ballots into the pile rather than returning them through normal channels, and that paperwork documenting ballot transfers was missing. The county disputes the claims.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

Dutch semiconductor company ASM is investing more than $320 million to expand its U.S. headquarters...

Heidi Hommel

Dutch semiconductor company ASM announces $320 million investment in Scottsdale

Dutch semiconductor equipment company ASM is investing more than $320 million to expand its U.S. headquarters in Scottsdale.

2 hours ago

A U.S. Border Patrol agent counts immigrants after they spent the night in the desert on December 0...

KTAR.com

Community activist believes closure of Lukeville Port of Entry could result in border town deaths

A community activist who works with border towns believes there could be deaths if the Lukeville Port of Entry in Arizona doesn't reopen soon.

2 hours ago

Phoenix Police has released video of a shooting where a suspect fired at an officer following a sto...

KTAR.com

Phoenix Police release video in shooting of man who fired at officer

The Phoenix Police Department has released video of a shooting where a suspect fired at an officer following a stop.

2 hours ago

Follow @KTAR923...

KTAR.com

Kygo to headline final night of Coors Light Birds Nest in February at WM Phoenix Open

The 2024 Coors Light Birds Nest added internationally acclaimed DJ Kygo as the headliner for the February festival's final night.

2 hours ago

Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade...

KTAR.com

Tempe to hold Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade on Saturday

Arizona's most unique holiday event, the Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade, will launch at 7 p.m. across Tempe Town Lake this Saturday, Dec. 9.

10 hours ago

Bitcoin scam...

KTAR.com

Arizona man charged with defrauding local physician out of $207,000

A federal grand jury returned an indictment against Fountain Hills man Jeremie Sowerby for wire fraud and transactional money laundering.

14 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

...

Midwestern University

Midwestern University: innovating Arizona health care education

Midwestern University’s Glendale Campus near Loop 101 and 59th Avenue is an established leader in health care education and one of Arizona’s largest and most valuable health care resources.

...

SCHWARTZ LASER EYE CENTER

Key dates for Arizona sports fans to look forward to this fall

Fall brings new beginnings in different ways for Arizona’s professional sports teams like the Cardinals and Coyotes.

Kari Lake’s lawyers fined in failed Arizona election lawsuit