Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson on Tuesday denied motions by Maricopa County and Governor-elect Katie Hobbs to sanction the lawyers of unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
“There is no doubt that each side believes firmly in its position with great conviction,” he wrote, adding that “the fact that plaintiff failed to meet the burden of clear and convincing evidence required” does not “equate to a finding that her claims were, or were not, groundless and presented in bad faith.”
Lake had filed suit to try to overturn her election loss.
Lawyers for Hobbs and Maricopa County had argued that Lake was “misusing the courts” to try to undermine Arizona elections for her own political gain.
Thompson seemed inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt, noting that he’d let two of her 10-part lawsuit go to trial.
“Although eight of Plaintiff’s claims were dismissed as a matter of law, two claims did survive and proceed to trial,” he wrote. “Granting a hearing on those claims was a question of law applied to facts and not a benevolent act.”
He did agree to compensation for Hobbs’ expert witness and ballot inspector.
Thompson dismissed the last two counts of Lake’s lawsuit on Saturday after two days at trial. Lake has vowed to appeal his decision, while also amplifying, in a now-deleted tweet, a conspiracy theory that Thompson’s decision was ghostwritten by Democratic Party-aligned lawyers.
Well, poop. What’s a shyster gotta do these days to get slapped?
Katie Hobbs was awarded roughly $33,000 in taxable costs and inspection fees following the trial. Those costs were awarded with interest.
Chump change, but at least Lake didn’t get a 100% free pass.
While the judge was unwilling to throw out the law for Lake, because as he says “There are purported facts under the law” with Lakes filing, when it comes to discretionary actions, such as sanctions, he knows which side he’s on. His appointer, Jan Brewer, was a vicious right-winger, intending to cause hurt to liberals and Latinos.
And at trial it was demonstrated that she had nothing. Lake and her lawyers just dodged a huge bullet. The lawyers may get it but I doubt that she will and thus the abuse of the legal system will continue . . . But the legal expenses of $33,040.50 plus 7.5% interest until paid in full for expert witness testimony is not chump change either.
Hobbs is inaugurated next week. That is very important. Most of us are looking at this with two prisms. Hobbs’ ascension to the Governor’s Mansion and Kari Lake’s menacing nature and possibilities