Maricopa County RINO Stephen Richer and Soros Tied Protect Democracy Continue to Drag Out Defamation Lawsuit and Harass Kari Lake for Discovery After No-Contest Plea – Seek MILLIONS in Damages
Attorneys for Kari Lake were back in court on Wednesday, fighting to obtain a hearing on damages before a jury in First Amendment-hating RINO Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer’s defamation lawsuit against Lake.
Attorneys for Richer reportedly seek damages amounting to millions of dollars.
Recall The Gateway Pundit’s recent reporting on a 2021 op-ed that Richer submitted to the National Review Magazine, where he reveals that he believes the First Amendment is “the biggest threat to elections and Democracy,” that his constituents are “idiots” and that “it may be time to revisit our First Amendment jurisprudence.” Jack Butler, editor of The National Review, rejected the draft op-ed, citing Richer’s attack on freedom of speech; however, Richer apparently gave a similarly written speech, ironically in commemoration of Constitution Day, to students of the Maricopa County Community College District, which was approved by the district beforehand.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Kari Lake recently pled no contest in the lawfare defamation case brought against her by fake “Republican” Stephen Richer and Protect Democracy – a far-left group of Soros and Obama-linked henchmen who are trying to silence all election critics on the right. Instead of allowing the Soros-linked far-left Protect Democracy to subpoena and dig through her personal communications and campaign secrets and wasting more time or money on the bogus lawsuit, Lake decided it was time to focus on her campaign. Lake is expected to face Soros-backed far-left Marxist Ruben Gallego in the 2024 general election for the U.S. Senate.
Despite Richer and the fake news media’s claims to the contrary, Lake never admitted to defamation. She only conceded that she did say things that hurt Richer’s feelings while still maintaining that nothing she said was defamatory. As stated in Lake’s Motion for Default Judgement, “It is often said that defaulting admits the allegations in the operative complaint. This is a misnomer.” The filing then cites case law, which states, “An entry of default serves as a judicial admission of all well-pleaded facts in the complaint. A party against whom default is entered, however, is not held to admit facts that are not well-pleaded or to admit conclusions of law. If a complaint does not include well-pleaded facts for a required showing, entry of default does not mean that required showing has been made.“
Lake's no-contest plea came after the Arizona Supreme Court, led in part by Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer, rejected Lake's appeal in Richer's anti-American defamation lawsuit.
It can be recalled that Ann Timmer's sister Laurie Roberts, is a rabidly anti-Lake propagandist for the leftist Arizona Republic. And prior to Lake's appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court, Laurie Roberts authored an article titled, "Kari Lake is in deep defamation doo doo after Court of Appeals ruling," where she boasted about Lake's loss and criticized her for using a First Amendment defense.
Roberts, who told The Gateway Pundit she speaks to her sister, Justice Timmer, “all the time,” could potentially be perceived as an influencer in Timmer and the Arizona Supreme Court's opinions on Lake, though she contends that they “never” discuss politics. It looks like a conflict of interest for Roberts' dishonest journalism and for Ann Timmer's position on the state's highest court.
Before Wednesday's hearing, Lake's attorneys sent the following letter to Richer's attorneys on April 15, rejecting a proposed scheduling order and highlighting how Richer's campaign and political image have actually benefitted from Kari Lake's alleged defamation. The letter also showcases statements from Richer, which Lake attorneys say underscore "his exuberance at subjecting Kari Lake and the other Defendants to burdensome discovery."
"We’re ready, and have been ready for some months, to start discovery. Lotta documents, recordings, etc we’d like to look at. And depositions… we’re gonna need a bigger boat…" Richer bragged in an X post last month.
We’re ready, and have been ready for some months, to start discovery.
Lotta documents, recordings, etc we’d like to look at.
And depositions… we’re gonna need a bigger boat… https://t.co/8e4yk0V9Za
— Stephen Richer—MaricopaCountyRecorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) March 20, 2024
Per 12 News AZ:
Lake's lawyers asked the Maricopa County judge handling the case to proceed to a speedy hearing before a jury on monetary damages for Richer.
Neither Lake nor Richer were in court Wednesday for a status conference but their attorneys told the judge they cannot agree on what to do next.
Richer’s side has claimed damages could be in the millions, which Lake’s team has denied in court filings.
Lake’s attorneys want the case to go to a damages hearing, saying Richer's team needs to outline compensatory damages.
Attorneys for Far-left Soros-tied Protect Democracy representing Stephen Richer are still seeking a discovery phase to dig through Kari Lake's records and communications and seemingly interfere with her election for U.S. Senate. This clearly is a hit job on Kari Lake by her political opponents and Soros-backed entities, and Lake's Soros-backed opponent, Ruben Gallego, will surely benefit.
Lake attorney Tim LaSota told the court, "We’ve admitted the facts and this is just a way to try and continue what we think this case has been about from the start… sideline Ms. Lake from the Senate campaign."
Additionally, Richer's attorney claims that this is not only about Richer's feelings being hurt or monetary damages for the elected official but damages to his reputation as well.
However, as stated in an April 20 court filing by Kari Lake's legal team, which is similar to their April 15 letter and again highlights Richer's benefits from her alleged defamation, including a massive surge in fundraising numbers, "Richer’s own social media postings belie any damages to his reputation."
On February 25, 2024, Richer posted on X that he had already fundraised $250k for this election cycle, nearly as much as the roughly $309k raised during the entire 2020 cycle. Additionally, last week, Richer showed his X followers that his campaign currently has more than $261k in cash on hand.
The filing also combats claims that Richer is entitled to punitive damages, that he can prove physical injury, and that he will be able to show proximate cause to prove that Lake is responsible for criticism and alleged threats through discovery.
"Richer also cannot deny that he has publicly made, and continues to make, statements highly critical of Donald J. Trump," the Response from Lake contends to show how Richer is responsible for his own lack of popularity among Arizona Republicans. It should also be remembered that Richer oversaw early voting in Lake’s stolen 2022 election for governor and founded and operated the Pro-Democracy Republicans dark money PAC aimed at eliminating candidates with a MAGA agenda, and he admits to voting for Democrats last election cycle.
Read the full April 20 Response Brief from Lake's attorneys below:
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