Katie Hobbs files sanctions against Kari Lake after Arizona judge denies election fraud claims

Arizona Governor-elect Katie Hobbs (D) and Maricopa County officials filed for sanctions against former opponent Kari Lake (R) on Monday after a judge dismissed Lake's lawsuit challenging the outcome of the state's gubernatorial race, NBC News reports.

Hobbs and the county filed a motion for sanctions against Lake and her legal team after the court denied Lake's petition to have the November election results reversed. Though the judge dismissed eight of the ten original claims in the lawsuit, Lake was allowed to present evidence supporting the remaining two allegations, including misconduct with ballot printers and issues with chain of custody. On Saturday, after a two-day trial, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled against Lake, finding that she did not present sufficient evidence of misconduct to challenge the election results.

Following the ruling, Hobbs' legal team joined Maricopa County to file for sanctions against Lake for $25,050 to cover legal fees for the lawsuit they deemed "groundless" and "frivolous." The county pointed out that Lake made remarks before the election indicating that she did not plan to concede if she lost.

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"Enough really is enough," the county said. "It is past time to end unfounded attacks on elections and unwarranted accusations against elections officials. This matter was brought without any legitimate justification, let alone a substantial one."