A judge ordered two Colorado lawyers to pay legal fees to Dominion Voting Systems, Facebook and others named in their class-action lawsuit that alleged the 2020 presidential election was rigged against former President Donald Trump, the Associated Press reported.
Federal Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter’s ruling will also require lawyers Gary D. Fielder and Ernest J. Walker to pay the legal fees of defendants Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, and elected officials in four swing states that were included in their lawsuit that was previously dismissed. Their suit was based on theories and lies perpetuated by Trump and his supporters that the election, which certified President Joe Biden‘s win, was stolen. Dominion Voting Systems in Denver became involved in some of the conspiracies.
“The lawsuit put into or repeated into the public record highly inflammatory and damaging allegations that could have put individuals’ safety in danger,” stated Neureiter. “Doing so without a valid legal basis or serious independent personal investigation into the facts was the height of recklessness.”
At a court hearing last month, Fielder and Walker claimed they were being protective of democracy.
For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.
Ben Gray/AP Photo
Neureiter noted the Jan. 6 insurrection was spurred by the lies it repeated, as were threats against election and Dominion officials.
There are few recourses against false lawsuits other than penalizing lawyers for filing them. Repeated audits and recounts found no significant fraud in the presidential election. Even Trump’s own administration said the election was clean.
That did not stop Trump and his allies from filing dozens of suits and continuing to insist the contest was stolen from him, a lie that inspired the crowds that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. In the end, Trump and his allies lost more than 50 of the election lawsuits.
Fielder and Walker were not connected with other Trump lawyers—including Sidney Powell, who is one of multiple Trump-backing attorneys who face possible sanctions for an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging the election results in Michigan.
