Sanctions stand for lawyers in frivolous 2020 election lawsuit
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to review a 10th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that affirmed awarding sanctions against attorneys responsible for a frivolous lawsuit tied to the 2020 election.
The sanctions were awarded to various defendants, including the state of Michigan, Facebook, Dominion Voting Systems and the state of Pennsylvania were awarded as compensation for costs to respond to the frivolous suit, which falsely alleged the defendants had infringed on the right of American citizens’ right to vote for president.
The sanctions, which included $4,900 for the state of Michigan, were awarded by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. They were upheld by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“This ruling sends a resounding message: attorneys who neglected their oath to support the Constitution by taking part in election lawsuits based neither in fact nor reality not only undermined our legal system — they did irreparable harm to our election processes and will be held accountable,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement.
In the order specifying the sanctions, U.S. Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter wrote that the attorneys who filed the suit “are experienced lawyers who should have known better. They need to take responsibility for their misconduct.”
“I believe that rather than a legitimate use of the legal system to seek redress for redressable grievances, this lawsuit has been used to manipulate gullible members of the public and foment public unrest. To that extent, this lawsuit has been an abuse of the legal system and an interference with the machinery of government,” Neureiter wrote.
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