Mark Finchem, a Republican candidate for Arizona Secretary of State, waves to the crowd as he arrives to speak at a Save America rally Friday, July 22, 2022, in Prescott, Ariz.
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
An Arizona judge has ordered three Republicans to pay $75,000 in attorney fees for filing a defamation suit against a former Democratic lawmaker “primarily for purposes of harassment.”
The order issued Monday says the lawsuit filed by GOP secretary of state nominee Mark Finchem, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, and a state Senate candidate was “groundless and not made in good faith.”
The judge dismissed the lawsuit in April, finding the actions by former Democratic state Rep. Charlene Fernandez were protected by the First Amendment's rights to free speech and to petition the government.
Finchem said he is considering his next options. A spokesman for Gosar did not respond to an email seeking comment.
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