Topline
Attorneys including Sidney Powell and Lin Wood will have to pay more than $175,000 in attorneys fees to Michigan officials and the city of Detroit, a federal judge ruled Thursday, as part of sanctions the court had previously imposed against the attorneys for their lawsuit attempting to overturn the presidential election results.
Sidney Powell conducts a news conference at the Republican National Committee on lawsuits regarding ... [+]
Key Facts
U.S. District Judge Linda Parker ordered the nine attorneys to pay $21,964.75 to the state of Michigan, on behalf of defendants Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and $153,285.62 to the city of Detroit.
Parker had previously sanctioned Powell, Wood and their co-counsel in August for their post-election lawsuit alleging widespread election fraud, which Parker ruled was “a historic and profound abuse of the judicial process,” but did not specify a dollar amount until now.
While Parker awarded the Michigan defendants the exact amount they asked for, the city of Detroit was awarded slightly less than the $182,192 it requested, as the judge disputed several minor ways in which the city calculated its total fees.
In addition to the attorneys’ fees, Parker also ordered the attorneys to undergo at least 12 hours of “continuing legal education” on pleading standards and election law, and referred the attorneys to disciplinary boards where they’re licensed “for investigation and possible suspension or disbarment.”
Donald Campbell, an attorney representing Powell and other counsel in the case, has not yet responded to a request for comment.
What To Watch For
Powell and her co-counsel could still appeal Parker’s ruling, which would put her order on hold and keep the lawyers from having to pay the fees as the litigation plays out.
Crucial Quote
“This case was never about fraud—it was about undermining the People’s faith in our democracy and debasing the judicial process to do so,” Parker wrote in her August sanctions ruling.
Key Background
The Michigan lawsuit was part of a broader post-election legal campaign waged by Trump and his allies to overturn the election results and was one of four lawsuits Powell personally brought in battleground states. The cases alleged widespread fraud and were part of a legal strategy she dubbed “releas[ing]
the Kraken” after the 1981 film The Clash of the Titans—though all ultimately failed. Parker initially dismissed the Michigan lawsuit in December, ruling the complaint was based on “nothing but speculation and conjecture” and did not actually offer proof of election fraud, but rather “an amalgamation of theories, conjecture, and speculation that such alterations were possible.” In addition to the sanctions in Michigan, Powell and her co-counsel also face potential sanctions in Wisconsin, where Gov. Tony Evers has asked them to pay more than $100,000, multiple defamation lawsuits against her from voting companies whose machines Powell baselessly tied to election fraud, potential disbarment by the State Bar of Texas and a reported federal investigation into her fundraising group Defending the Republic.Further Reading
Sidney Powell And ‘Kraken’ Lawyers Asked To Pay More Than $200,000 In Michigan Fraud Case (Forbes)
Sidney Powell, ‘Kraken’ Attorneys Sanctioned For Bringing Michigan Election Fraud Lawsuit (Forbes)
Sidney Powell’s Fundraising Groups Reportedly Subpoenaed As Part Of Criminal Investigation (Forbes)
