A prominent Republican election official in Arizona has recently taken legal action by filing a defamation lawsuit against Kari Lake, who has made false allegations that she lost the 2022 gubernatorial race due to fraudulent activities.
Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County Recorder, stated that he has endured “violent vitriol and other dire consequences”, including death threats and the loss of friendships, as a result of the lies propagated by Lake.
In an op-ed published in a source, Richer criticized Lake for attempting to undermine public confidence in the electoral process by saying “Rather than accept political defeat, rather than get a new job, she has sought to undermine confidence in our elections and has mobilized millions of her followers against me.”
Lake, a former television news anchor in Phoenix, gained a devoted following by aligning herself with former President Donald Trump and promoting his unfounded claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Despite narrowly losing her own bid for the Arizona governorship and having her legal challenge to the election results dismissed, Lake persists in asserting that Richer and other Maricopa County officials interfered in the election to prevent her victory.
A spokesperson representing Kari Lake did not immediately provide a response when requested for comment. Lake is actively considering a potential campaign for the U.S. Senate and is regarded as a leading candidate to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
The defamation lawsuit was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court and lists Lake, her campaign, and her political fundraising group as defendants. Alongside seeking unspecified monetary damages, Stephen Richer is requesting a court order that declares Lake’s statements false and compels her to remove them from social media.
While defamation cases involving public officials, like Richer, face a high threshold according to U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the lawsuit brought against a News Channel by Dominion Voting Systems resulted in damaging internal messages being exposed and a settlement of $787.5 million.
In their complaint, Richer’s legal team argues that while Lake has the right to criticize him, she does not have the right to disseminate falsehoods that cause harm to his reputation.
The lawsuit focuses on two specific claims made by Lake, namely that Richer intentionally printed 19-inch ballot images on 20-inch paper, leading to counting issues, and that he injected 300,000 fraudulent ballots. The complaint provides detailed instances, numbering close to thirty, where Lake made these claims publicly through social media, rallies, and news conferences.
According to the lawsuit, Richer has encountered death threats, with one incident resulting in a prosecution by the U.S. Justice Department. He has also incurred substantial expenses on home security. In response to the threats, Richer and his wife have made changes to their daily routines, and law enforcement has increased patrols around their residence and workplaces.
In an op-ed published in a source, Richer stated, “She has gone far outside of the bounds of protected free speech as guaranteed under the First Amendment and the Arizona Constitution.”
