The defeated Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake appealed on Tuesday a Maricopa County judge’s decision to dismiss her lawsuit challenging her midterm loss after a two-day trial, noting she’ll also seek a direct review by the Arizona Supreme Court.
The notice of appeal the Arizona Republican filed Tuesday in Arizona Superior Court notes she’s not only contesting the dismissal of two counts but is also asking the judge – the same judge that dismissed her lawsuit – to now reconsider all 10 counts she originally cited as well as a decision ordering her to pay Katie Hobbs’ legal team. $33,000 in fees.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled against Lake, dismissing the highest-profile case challenging the midterm election results, pointing out that she didn’t have enough evidence to prove that election officials committed intentional misconduct sufficient to change the outcome of the race, which Lake lost by some 17,000 votes.
After last week’s ruling, she made it clear she intended to appeal the decision, arguing that she provided the world with evidence that proves the US elections are run outside of the law.
Lake is now essentially questioning every Judge Thompson made in her case, asking the Appeals Court to examine his dismissal of eight of her original complaints, his later ruling rejecting the remaining two counts, and Tuesday’s decision on fees that Arizona’s Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs demanded in a lawsuit along with a request that the court sanctions Lake over her frivolous lawsuit.
Hobbs joined a Maricopa County motion seeking sanctions against Lake less than 48 hours after Judge Thompson’s ruling, requesting the court to award her $36,990 in attorneys’ fees and expenses in that litigation since she achieved a total victory, as her filing concluded.
Judge Thompson, however, denied the request from Hobbs and Maricopa County to sanction Lake and her legal team, explaining that while she didn’t provide evidence of her election-related claims, Lake also didn’t meet the standard for imposing sanctions, adding that she’ll have to, nonetheless, reimburse Hobbs $33,040 for some expenses since she lost the case.
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