A federal court in Florida reportedly fined former President Donald Trump and his attorney, Alina Habba, over $1 million this week for bringing what he considered a baseless lawsuit claiming a political plot during the 2016 election.
Mr. Trump filed a lawsuit in March 2022 saying that Democrats attempted to rig the 2016 presidential election by charging him of collaborating with Russia.
In the claim, the former president identified a slew of persons he has accused of plotting against him over the years, including Hillary Clinton, his Democratic Party opponent, FBI officials, and a private research firm that generated a dossier of mostly debunked charges.
Ms. Habba did not reply promptly to a request for comment. Mr. Trump’s spokesperson did not immediately comment. In November, Judge Middlebrooks granted $50,000 in penalties in the case.
On Friday, a different team of attorneys representing Mr. Trump dismissed another complaint against New York Attorney General Letitia A. James, which was also being handled by Judge Middlebrooks.
They did not reply to a request for comment on whether the claim was dropped as a result of the fines imposed on Ms. Habba and her business.
Judges have wide discretion to impose sanctions on attorneys who break court regulations, though such fines are uncommon in reality. Attorneys are not permitted to file frivolous claims or legal arguments in federal court.
A few of Mr. Trump’s other attorneys might face sanctions for their legal defense of the former president. A federal court in Michigan sanctioned a legal team defending Mr. Trump for launching a lawsuit disputing the outcome of the 2020 election.
In addition, Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, may lose his law license in Washington, D.C., as a result of his legal activity on Mr. Trump’s behalf.
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