Michigan Republican Party chairwoman Kristina Karamo alleged voting corruption in Detroit at a press conference. (Screenshot from WJBK / YouTube)
A Michigan judge sanctioned the chairwoman of the state's Republican Party for filing "frivolous" election fraud claims that were "rife with speculation, an absence of facts and a lack of understanding of Michigan election statutes and Detroit absentee ballot procedures."
"There was no reasonable basis to believe the facts underlying their legal position were in fact true," Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Kenny wrote in a scathing, eight-page opinion and order.
Michigan GOP chairwoman Kristina Karamo, her attorneys and her co-plaintiffs, must pay $58.459.20 over their failed effort, with the judge scolding them for failing to research their allegations.
"A clear example of the lack of facts supporting Plaintiffs' position involved the allegation of lack of opportunity for anyone to observe those individuals depositing absentee ballots in ballot drop boxes in Detroit," the sanctions order continues. "The November 3, 2022 evidentiary hearing produced testimony that all Detroit ballot drop boxes had video camera coverage consistent with Michigan election law and that video coverage was retained for thirty days. The information could easily have been obtained from the Detroit Clerk's Office but was not."
Some 13 days before the midterm elections late last year, Karamo filed a lawsuit challenging processes connected with absentee voting. She ultimately lost to her Democratic rival Jocelyn Benson by a convincing 14 percentage points before being elected state GOP chair in February, according to The Detroit News. The judge found that Karamo's attacks on the integrity of the election that she lost were wildly unsupported, after hearing evidence over the course of an eight-hour hearing.
Detroit's counsel David Fink, who also defended the city against an onslaught of litigation after the 2020 presidential election, applauded the judge for extracting a price from election conspiracy theorists.
"When a baseless lawsuit is filed to interfere with the good work done by Detroit's City Clerk, there should be consequences," Fink said in a statement.
Fink is the attorney who spearheaded a successful effort to level heavy sanctions against so-called "Kraken" lawyers Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and seven of their co-counsel, including disciplinary referrals calling for their possible disbarment.
As other GOP politicians increasingly embraced Trump's post-election playbook, Fink has stayed busy as the lead counsel batting away Karamo's lawsuit. He once again pursued sanctions and prevailed.
"This is an extraordinary lawsuit; the remedies sought could cause the disenfranchisement of more than 60,000 Detroit voters," Fink noted in a motion late last year seeking sanctions.
Karamo's attorney Daniel Hartman, who was also slapped with sanctions, didn't immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
In a legal brief, Karamo's legal team insisted that they and their clients had good intentions.
"Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit seeking truth," they wrote.
Sharing responsibility for the sanctions with them are co-plaintiffs Philip O'Halloran, MD; Branden Giacobzaai; Timothy Mahoney; Kristie Walls; Patricia Farmer and a group going by the name of the Election Integrity Fund and Force.
Read the sanctions order in full here.
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