Maricopa County recorder sues Kari Lake for defamation

Phoenix’s county recorder, Stephen Richer, filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, alleging that the former television news anchor defamed him after she lost the 2022 governor’s race in Arizona.

Richer and Lake, both of whom are Republicans, feuded in the days and months after the 2022 election as Lake repeatedly refused to concede the governor’s election to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs (D).

Lake was one of the most prominent election deniers in the 2022 election cycle, claiming that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump and that the 2022 election was similarly fraudulent. There has been no evidence to date backing either claim.

Richer’s suit names Lake and her political action committees, Kari Lake Fund for Arizona and Save Arizona Fund, alleging that they were “engaging in a concerted campaign to defame, threaten and isolate me,” he said in an Arizona Republic op-ed.

Richer’s role as Maricopa County Recorder saw him oversee the veracity of the voter rolls, assist in creating the ballot and assist in managing elections in the county.

The lawsuit claims that Lake consistently and systemically lied about Richer’s actions, causing him to receive harassment and numerous threats on his life.

Richer says that Lake claimed without evidence he stuffed ballot boxes with 300,000 invalid votes and used his role as recorder to make the ballot unclear for voters.

“For the last seven months, I have been subjected to constant harassment, intimidation, and threats to my and my family’s lives because the defendants in this case were spreading falsehoods about me, my work, and our elections,” Richer said in a statement.

“In America, no one is above the law, and I am standing up for that principle and seeking justice for what my family and I have been put through,” he added.

The filing asks that Lake retract and apologize for the statements and for undisclosed monetary damages.

Lake did not respond to a request for comment.