PHOENIX — After losing his 2022 bid for Arizona Secretary of State, Mark Finchem filed a lawsuit attempting to overturn the results of the election. His suit was dismissed, and he is now facing sanctions.
The Maricopa County Superior Court found that his lawsuit was "groundless and not brought in good faith," documents show.
Finchem's lawsuit was against then Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Finchem’s secretary of state opponent, Democrat Adrian Fontes, and Rep. Ruben Gallego.
The lawsuit claimed that Maricopa County "failed miserably" in holding a fair and secure election, mostly focusing on technical issues at some polling locations.
Judge Melissa Julian granted a motion by Katie Hobbs to dismiss the suit. In December, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes filed for sanctions alongside then-Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.
"None of Contestant Finchem’s allegations, even if true, would have changed the vote count enough to overcome the 120,000 votes he needed to affect the result of this election," the court announced.
The court ordered Finchem and his legal team to pay the attorneys' fees for Hobbs and Fontes, as well as other costs involved with the proceedings.
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You can read Judge Julian's full decision below:
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Mark Finchem sancionado por demanda sobre elección ‘sin fundamentos’, dice corte de Arizona
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