Judge in Kari Lake case rejects sanctions, awards $33,000 in legal fees

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/12/27/kari-lake-facing-sanctions-legal-fees-governor-race-lawsuit/ [login to see] 7/
Among the many examples they cited was a tweet Lake commented on the day after losing her case. She linked to a TownHall.com report which said Lake's case shows voter disenfranchisement no longer matters. Lake's comment was attached to a tweet from attorney and conservative writer Rachel Alexander that claimed "legal experts" believed Thompson's ruling was "ghostwritten" by attorneys representing Hobbs. Lake has since deleted the tweet and her comment.

Lake's attorneys late Monday responded that their lawsuit was legitimate, in part because Thompson advanced two of Lake's claims to trial, even as he dismissed eight others. The trial resulted in a Christmas Eve ruling rejecting Lake's case and declaring Hobbs the winner of the governor's race.

In arguing against sanctions, attorneys Bryan Blehm and Kurt Olsen used the same reasoning that Hobbs and county officials cited as they fought Lake's lawsuit.

"Trust in the election process is not furthered by punishing those who bring legitimate claims, as Plaintiff did here," Blehm and Olsen wrote. "In fact, sanctioning Plaintiff would have the opposite effect."