Lansing — Attorney Sidney Powell and other lawyers who unsuccessfully sought to overturn Michigan's 2020 election will have to pay $175,250 in legal fees under a court order issued Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Linda Parker of Michigan's Eastern District said the penalty was "an appropriate sanction" and "an amount the court finds needed to deter plaintiffs’ counsel and others from engaging in similar misconduct in the future."
"Plaintiffs’ attorneys, many of whom seek donations from the public to fund lawsuits like this one ... have the ability to pay this sanction," Parker wrote.
The decision awards $153,285.62 to the City of Detroit, the state's largest city and a Democratic stronghold that became a hotbed for false and unproven claims about voter fraud, and $21,964.75 to the state of Michigan.
The nine attorneys involved in bringing the election case — Powell, L. Lin Wood, Howard Kleinhendler, Gregory Rohl, Stefanie Lynn Junttila, Emily Newman, Julia Z. Haller, Brandon Johnson and Scott Hagerstrom — must jointlypay the amounts within 30 days, according to Parker's order. That's an unless there's an appeal.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson welcomed Parker's ruling.
“The awarding of fees further holds accountable the attorneys who worked to distort our democracy in favor of lining their own pockets,” Nessel said in a statement. “These attorneys demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the law and attempted to use the courts to...
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