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.
Hobbs’ filing Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court comes two days after he ruled against Lake’s attempt to overturn the election results, saying there was “no clear and convincing evidence” of wrongdoing that would affect the outcome of the governor’s race. state status. .
Now, Hobbs and county officials are asking that Lake and his legal team be ordered to pay $25,050 to cover some of the legal costs incurred by Hobbs and the county as a result of Lake’s lawsuit. The filing 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.” He kept that promise, the filing says, and dragged Hobbs and the county into a “frivolous search.”
Lake’s trial was a complete abuse of the state’s judicial system, the filing alleges.
“Courts are established by the Arizona constitution and statutes to resolve genuine disputes between the parties,” the plaintiffs wrote. “It doesn’t exist for candidates for political office to try to make political statements and raise money. And they should not be used to harass political opponents and sow completely unfounded doubts about the integrity of elections. All these things happened in this matter.”
Although Hobbs is days away from being sworn in, Lake has yet to accept the election — which he lost by more than 17,000 votes — and says he plans to appeal his latest decision.
“My election case proved to the world that our elections are being held outside the law,” he tweeted on Christmas Eve. “This judge did not rule in our favor. However, to restore trust and honesty in our elections, I will appeal your decision.”
Lake’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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