Finchem filed a lawsuit in the wake of his election loss, alleging misconduct. || Gage Skidmore
By Mary Jo Pitzl || The Arizona Republic
A judge has ordered former Republican secretary of state candidate Mark Finchem to pay financial sanctions for filing a frivolous lawsuit in the wake of his loss in November’s election.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian ordered Finchem, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, and his attorney to pay attorney fees and costs to Adrian Fontes, the winner of the secretary of state race, and Katie Hobbs, who was secretary of state during the November 2022 election. The judge declined to grant further financial penalties, which under law rise to as much as $5,000. She did not explain why.
Julian invited Hobbs and Fontes to file motions detailing the amounts of their attorney fees and costs.
Finchem filed a lawsuit in the wake of his election loss, alleging misconduct. Julian in December dismissed Finchem’s case as groundless and said she would accept motions for sanctions. Fontes filed a lengthy request, and Hobbs joined him in that complaint.
