Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer details the way his life has changed since unsuccessful Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake chose him as a primary antagonist in her Big Lie fantasies: police patrols, spending thousands on home security upgrades, watching his political career prospects diminish.
In a new lawsuit, Richer is suing Lake, her campaign and a Lake fundraising outfit for defamation after Lake repeatedly accused the election official of stealing the 2022 election away from her by tampering with ballot printers and injecting fake ballots into the stream. He also published an op-ed in The Arizona Republic Thursday, detailing his suffering.
Lake channeled those accusations into legal challenges — alongside fundraising bids — and has now lost repeatedly at various Arizona state courts. An Arizona judge rejected her final lawsuit late last month, again affirming that Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) rightfully won the election.
At times, Richer’s exasperation — also on display when he was called to testify during Lake’s cases — breaks through as his lawyers lay out his case.
“The early vote ballots dropped off on Election Day — the ones the Defendants claim were injected in order to sway the election away from Lake — actually broke in her favor,” the lawsuit says.
The suit lists dozens of times Lake reiterated these accusations, including on such MAGA-friendly platforms as Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast.
It also captures many disturbing comments left below Lake’s various media appearances, most of which call for violence.
“If that’s proven then someone needs to be dismembered,” one reads.
“The only way this changes is by going after the Republicans that are blocking we the people,” another says. “We need to find and crucify each one.”
Richer is a registered Republican.
The lawsuit points out that the Department of Justice has charged at least one man for allegedly threatening Richer’s life.
Richer’s lawyers also write that “several” people filed bar complaints against Richer after Lake and her campaign’s Twitter retweeted guidance from far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer on how to do so.
The lawsuit details that many of Lake’s claims came alongside fundraising asks, as the MAGA celebrity has continued to milk her Big Lie claims many months after she lost her election.
Richer is seeking nominal damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney fees and an injunction to compel Lake and the two other related entities to remove the “false and defamatory portions of the statements about Richer” from websites and social media accounts they control.
Lake responded to the lawsuit on Twitter Friday.
“I’m exposing the massive corruption in our elections and this jackass is suing me,” she wrote. “He wants to silence US. Trump won in a landslide & so did I. Everyone knows it.”
The missive ended with a link for supporters to donate.
Read the lawsuit here, via 12 News:
