Sidney Powell conceded defeat in her four-year-old lawsuit that claimed widespread voting fraud cost Donald Trump the 2020 election in Michigan. She took this step after a federal appeals court denied her latest attempt to avoid sanctions in the case.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier on Thursday that Powell and other lawyers who sued to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory must seek permission for future filings, risking potential new sanctions. The lawyers had tried twice to persuade the 6th Circuit to reverse its own order upholding sanctions against them for basing their election lawsuit on baseless allegations.
Powell argued that the voter fraud claims were credible and that the sanctions threatened free speech and the right to challenge the government. Despite her continued disagreement with the court’s rulings, she stated to Reuters on Thursday that the case is “finally decided” and they will pay the sanctions totaling about $152,000.
After losing their appeal of the trial court’s sanctions ruling and failing to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case, the attorneys filed a motion asking the 6th Circuit to recall its decision. When the court rejected that motion, they tried again earlier this month. The 6th Circuit panel, in its two-page order on Thursday, said, “Given that the sanctioned attorneys continue to file meritless motions, we order that they must seek leave of the court for any future filings.”
Frivolous sanctions?
The court denied the latest motion and warned the lawyers to “be mindful of the possibility of sanctions for frivolous filings in this court.” David Fink, who represented Detroit as a defendant in the election case, remarked, “The frivolous claims of the election deniers have once again been rejected.”
In June, the 6th Circuit found the allegations of electoral fraud advanced by Powell and five other lawyers to be baseless, frivolous, or refuted by their own filings. The court held that the attorneys must pay more than $152,000 in sanctions, a reduction from the $175,000 penalty initially imposed.
Separately, in October, Powell pleaded guilty to aiding Trump’s efforts to overturn his election defeat in Georgia and agreed to testify against him if called. Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive 2024 presidential nominee, has pleaded not guilty in the Georgia election interference case.
