Kari Lake declines to defend her statements in defamation suit filed by Arizona election official

Kari Lake, a well-known election denier running for a Senate seat in Arizona, has opted not to challenge her responsibility in a defamation lawsuit brought against her by a Republican election official in Maricopa County.

Stephen Richer, who oversaw the county’s 2022 election, filed a defamation lawsuit against Lake in June, alleging that she falsely accused him of causing her loss in the gubernatorial race won by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.

Lake’s legal team filed a motion for a default judgment on Tuesday, indicating that she is not contesting her liability. Instead, Lake plans to dispute the damages claimed by Richer.

She also requested that Richer provide relevant medical and psychiatric records to demonstrate the negative impact on his health, as mentioned in his lawsuit. Lake has asked for a jury for the default judgment hearing.

A strong ally of former President Trump, Lake has persistently claimed that she won the 2022 gubernatorial race, often targeting Richer in her statements.

The lawsuit alleges that Richer and his family faced threats of violence and death as a result of Lake’s false accusations.

The lawsuit cited several instances of Lake’s election denialism, including baseless claims that Richer misprinted ballots to cause issues with tabulators and that he sabotaged Election Day.

During Arizona’s 2022 election, numerous vote tabulation machines malfunctioned, leading to conspiracy theories among some conservatives. The root cause was ultimately determined to be changes in the ballot paper.

In a video statement posted online, Lake criticized Richer’s lawsuit, stating that participating in it would only legitimize interference in the upcoming election.

Richer responded by claiming that Lake’s decision not to contest the lawsuit means she has no evidence to support her claims and has surrendered her first amendment rights.

Longtime Trump ally Rudy Giuliani was ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation case last year for false claims he made about election workers in Georgia.

Attorneys for Lake and Richer have not yet responded to requests for comment as of Tuesday night.