(Headline USA) Nine lawyers allied with former President Donald Trump were ordered Thursday to pay Detroit and Michigan a total of $175,000 in sanctions for abusing the court system with a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results.
The money, which must be paid within 30 days, will cover the legal costs of defending against the suit, which were more than $153,000 for the city and nearly $22,000 for the state.
U.S. District Judge Linda Parker, an Obama-appointed leftist, agreed to impose sanctions in August, and rejected most of the attorneys’ objections to Detroit’s proposed award, but she did reduce it by about $29,000. Those sanctioned include Sidney Powell, L. Lin Wood and seven other lawyers who were part of the lawsuit filed on behalf of six Republican voters after Joe Biden‘s 154,000-vote victory over Trump.
“Plaintiffs’ attorneys, many of whom seek donations from the public to fund lawsuits like this one … have the ability to pay this sanction,” Parker wrote.
That’s not the first time Parker has seemingly let her own opinion and bias seep into rulings. Parker had to walk back statements two years ago when she let slip that she “very rarely” sees “people who have evil in their hearts. It is just people making really bad decision because they did not have any other option.”
When pressed by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, she admitted to regretting the remark and that it wasn’t proper to “judge what is in anyone’s heart.”
Michigan’s top three elected officials — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, all hard-left Democrats — are seeking the disbarment of four of the nine attorneys, including Powell. She is licensed in Texas. The other three are admitted to practice in Michigan.
Powell could not be reached for comment. Wood said he will appeal the order.
“I undertook no act in Michigan and I had no involvement in the Michigan lawsuit filed by Sidney Powell,” he said in an email. Wood’s name was on the lawsuit, but he has insisted he had no role other than to tell Powell he would be available if she needed a seasoned litigator.
Powell is best known for saying she would “release the kraken,” a mythical sea creature, to destroy Biden’s claim on the White House. But lawsuits in Michigan and elsewhere were stymied by partisan politics.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
