A United States district court judge in Colorado levied penalties Wednesday against two attorneys who filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.
The suit, which was dismissed in April, named public officials in four swing states, Facebook, the company’s founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Dominion Voting Systems, a Denver-based company whose voting machines were at the forefront of many conspiracy theories, as conspirators in election fraud claims from Trump and his allies.
COLORADO ADOPTS EMERGENCY RULE TO PROTECT FROM ‘SHAM’ ELECTION AUDITS
“The lawsuit put into or repeated into the public record highly inflammatory and damaging allegations that could have put individuals’ safety in danger,” wrote Magistrate Judge Reid Neureiter, who noted that allegations of widespread fraud in the election led to threats against election and Dominion officials.
The Colorado attorneys, Gary Fielder and Ernest Walker, had sought $180 billion in damages from the defendants. Neureiter said they must pay the defendants’ legal fees, though the total amount is unclear.
During a court hearing last month, Fielder and Walker said they were attempting to protect democracy.
They were not connected with Trump or other attorneys such as Sidney Powell, who also face possible sanctions following an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging the 2020 election in Michigan.
Trump and allied attorneys lost more than 50 election lawsuits following the Nov. 3 election, though the former president has continued to insist he lost his bid for a second term due to widespread fraud. Agencies within Trump’s own administration, including the Justice Department, said they were unable to find evidence to back the allegations.
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In June, the Colorado secretary of state announced a temporary emergency adoption of new rules that limit who can access voting equipment in the state and protects the state from “sham” election audits.
The move came as Republican allies of Trump in states across the nation have attempted to conduct partisan audits of the November election, such as one wrapping up in Maricopa County. Arizona.
The Washington Examiner contacted the U.S. District Court of Colorado but did not immediately receive a response.
