Arizona Election Official Sues Kari Lake for Defamation

PHOENIX — The top election official in Maricopa County, Arizona, is suing former Republican gubernatorial candidate and GOP firebrand Kari Lake for defamation.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, also a Republican, claims Lake repeatedly made false allegations that, among other things, he sabotaged her 2022 electoral race by allowing 300,000 illegal ballots to be included in the final tally of votes.

Richer also claims that Lake has repeatedly spread the false charge that he intentionally printed 19-inch images on 20-inch ballots so the electronic vote tabulators would jam all day on Election Day.

The suit also claims Lake leveled these charges despite the fact she knew, or should have known, that the statements she and her allies were making were false.

Writing in an op-ed in The Arizona Republic on Thursday, Richer said not only would he not do the things Lake has accused him of, as recorder he doesn’t even have jurisdiction over the printing of ballots.

“Kari Lake lost the November 2022 gubernatorial election,” the complaint says. “Instead of accepting that defeat, Lake — together with her campaign and a fundraising entity she controls — accused plaintiff Stephen Richer of intentionally sabotaging the election.

“Defendants knew or recklessly disregarded the falsity of those accusations. Courts at every level of the Arizona judiciary have concluded that defendants have no evidence to support their wild claims. But defendants continued to spread these egregious and harmful falsities to further their own agendas — and line their own pockets — at Richer’s expense.”

Though he acknowledges Lake and her supporters have a right to free speech — including speech that criticizes the government — he says, “there is no constitutional right to spread intentional or reckless falsehoods that cause harm to another person.”

“As a result of defendants’ knowing and malicious falsehoods, Richer and his family have been the target of threats of violence, and even death, and have had their lives turned upside down,” the lawsuit says.

Richer is seeking unspecified nominal, compensatory and punitive damages, a declaration from the court that Lake’s statements are untrue, and for Lake and her allies to be enjoined from continuing to make these false claims, and ordered to remove their false accusations from the websites and social media accounts.

“I firmly believe in the protections afforded to all of us under the First Amendment, but when people harm their fellow citizens through defamation, they should be held accountable,” Richer said in a statement. “In America, no one is above the law, and I am standing up for that principle and seeking justice for what my family and I have been put through.”

The case comes after Lake filed numerous suits against Richer and several other Maricopa County election officials, including one which sought to overturn the results of the November 2022 election.

In a tweet that was also a fundraising solicitation, Lake responded by saying, “I’m exposing the massive corruption in our elections and this jackass is suing me. 

“He wants to silence US,” Lake continued. “Trump won in a landslide & so did I. Everyone knows it. Corrupt elections have saddled us with disasters like Biden and [Gov. Katie] Hobbs. 

“The majority of Americans KNOW our elections are fraudulent. Those who orchestrated the wide-spread fraud want us to shut-up and accept it. We won’t. Our country is GONE unless we tackle this problem. They want to stop President Trump. They want to stop me. They want to stop you. Not. Going. To. Happen,” Lake tweeted.

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