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‘It is impossible to defend’ -- Lawyers face potential sanctions in Michigan over election misinformation

‘It is now time to hold every one of them accountable,’ says Detroit attorney

DETROIT – The courtroom drama over whether lawyers who pushed election conspiracy theories should be punished continues.

Read: Michigan AG will probe people making money off false election claims

In new legal filings, attorneys on both sides exchanged harsh words.

According to court filings, Sidney Powell -- the former attorney for President Donald Trump -- argued she and six other attorneys should avoid sanctions for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election because they weren’t the only ones spreading false claims the 2020 U.S. General Election was stolen.

“When they filed this case, members of two of the federal government’s three branches -- including the now former President of the United States -- were insisting that there was massive voter fraud,” the court filing reads, in part. “Millions of other Americans believed those claims -- and believed that their president would not intentionally mislead them.”

Since November, at least 86 lawsuits have been filed and lost by those like Powell and attorney L. Lin Wood.

In Wood’s court filing, he argues he shouldn’t face sanctions because -- while his name was on the lawsuit and he said in court he told Powell he would help with the lawsuits -- he claims he didn’t have anything to do with the case in Michigan.

“This Court, with all due respect, lacks the authority to impose sanctions upon an attorney that does not and has not practiced before the court,” wrote Wood’s attorney. "

The attorney for the city of Detroit did not hold back.

“This lawsuit is the dangerous product of an online feedback loop, with these attorneys citing legal precedent derived not from a serious analysis of case law, but from the rantings of conspiracy theorists sharing amateur analysis and legal fantasy in their social media echo chamber,” wrote Detroit Attorney David Fink. “These nine attorneys know that it is impossible to defend their actions, so they search for excuses to avoid accountability.”

Related: ‘Zero credibility’ -- New report from Michigan GOP Senate members debunks claims of vote fraud

On top of sanctions, Wood is also facing the possibility of discipline on his own for posting a link to a video from his federal court hearing earlier this month after the judge ordered the hearings could not be broadcast.

Read: Lawyers behind Michigan election fraud lawsuit face sanctions


About the Authors
Dane Kelly headshot

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.

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