Kari Lake’s challenge in defamation lawsuit rejected by Arizona court
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The Arizona Court of Appeals will not consider a special action appeal from former gubernatorial and current U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake challenging a Maricopa County judge's December decision to allow a defamation lawsuit against her to go forward.
Appeals are generally filed after trial or a judge's final order, but Lake's petition asked the Arizona Court of Appeals to rule more immediately on whether her motions to dismiss the defamation lawsuit were improperly denied.
She and her attorneys argued the lawsuit is "a matter of significant statewide importance" and "significant judicial and litigant resources will be extended" if the case proceeds.
The court's dismissal of Lake's petition comes days after she first submitted the appeal. It means the defamation case will continue to discovery, the formal process of exchanging information between attorneys about witnesses and evidence that could be presented before a jury at trial.
The defamation lawsuit, filed in June by Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, accuses Lake and her affiliates of spreading false information about Richer following the November 2022 election. He alleges Lake knew, or should have known, the statements were false. Lake and Richer are both Republicans.
But Lake says Richer, who is running for reelection, is seeking to silence her and other election integrity critics. She has repeatedly condemned his defamation suit against her.
Attorneys for Richer and Lake did not immediately respond to The Republic's request for comment on the appellate court's decision.
Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share on elections or voting? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Court rejects Kari Lake challenge to judge's decision in defamation lawsuit
