Lin Wood accuses Sidney Powell of trying to escape punishment as judge expresses skepticism

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Far-right lawyer Lin Wood and other pro-Trump attorneys tried to distance themselves from a Michigan voter fraud trial on Monday during a hearing Monday on whether sanctions are warranted in the case, while a Federal District judge has signaled attorney Sidney Powell and other attorneys on the case could be punished for bringing the litigation.

Lawyer Sidney Powell speaks at a rally on December 2, 2020 in Alpharetta, Georgia.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Highlights

Powell and his co-counsel unsuccessfully sued Michigan election officials after the election, attempting to overturn the presidential election and alleging widespread fraud, and Michigan officials have called for pro-Trump lawyers to be sanctioned for the frivolous and error-ridden trial, which they claim was brought in in bad faith.

At a hearing on Monday on the request for sanctions, Wood and attorney Emily Newman stressed in court that they had not played a role in the trial, with Newman’s attorney claiming she had only devoted only five hours of work on the case and Wood saying to the judge: I did nothing with regard to this trial.

Wood claimed he didn’t know her name was on the lawsuit and said he didn’t tell Powell more broadly that if she needed my help I would help her from the point of view of an attorney pleading in one of his post-election trials, but didn’t know about the Michigan lawsuit until it was filed.

Powell took issue with Woods’ account, saying she specifically asked Mr. Wood for his permission, although she admitted there may have been a misunderstanding.

Detroit City attorney David Fink called Woods’ claims blatantly false and pointed out that he served Wood in December with the option of opting out of the case and that Wood bragged about its involvement on social networks.

What to watch out for

While it is still not clear whether U.S. District Judge Linda Parker will impose penalties on attorneys and what form those penalties would take, the judge has previously ruled against the lawsuit dismissing it as based on nothing other than speculation and conjecture and repeatedly expressed skepticism during Monday’s hearing. Parker said the affidavits submitted to the court alleging electoral fraud raise questions and suggested that pro-Trump lawyers should have known how to question them before they were filed, saying the court feared those affidavits were submitted in bad faith. The lawyer has a duty to make sure that when you submit a sworn statement you have done a minimum of due diligence, Parker said. The judge also became visibly annoyed by several of the pro-Trump attorneys during the hearing, repeatedly berating attorneys Howard Kleinhendler and Scott Patterson for interrupting and criticizing Wood for reporting a legal process that does not exist in the district of Michigan where the lawsuit was filed.

Key context

Powell and Wood have propagated baseless conspiracy theories in the wake of the election and alleged widespread fraud, even causing the administration and the Trump campaign to distance themselves from Powell and helping marginal theories of electoral fraud take hold. magnitude to the far right. The Michigan lawsuit is one of four battlefield lawsuits that Powell has filed, all of which failed, including in the United States Supreme Court, and Wood also filed his own lawsuit in Georgia. In addition to the Michigan sanctions ruling, Powell also faces sanctions and attorney fees in Wisconsin and a separate effort by Michigan officials to strike her out, as well as two libel lawsuits. Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic voting machine companies. Wood is currently under investigation by the Georgia State Bar for his post-election conduct, which could result in his removal from the bar.

Further reading

Judge again denies Sidney Powell claim in Michigan Kraken case as lawyers face penalties (Forbes)

With the suspension of the Giulianis law license, here are the other Trump lawyers who could face disciplinary action (Forbes)

Detroit tries to punish Sidney Powell for Kraken lawsuit Legal experts say it might work (Forbes)

People have spoken: Sidney Powells Michigan trial overturned in court (Forbes)

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