Pro-Trump lawyer removed from Dominion case after leaking 2020 election documents

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8/14: CBS News 24/7 Episode 2

Pro-Trump lawyer Stefanie Lambert, who is facing felony charges successful Michigan of improperly accessing voting instrumentality aft the 2020 statesmanlike election, has been disqualified from representing a salient funder of predetermination conspiracy theorists who is being sued by Dominion Voting Systems.

Lambert has been representing Patrick Byrne, the laminitis of Overstock.com, successful a defamation suit brought against him by Dominion, 1 of the main targets of conspiracy theories implicit erstwhile President Donald Trump's 2020 predetermination loss.

Lambert was disqualified from the lawsuit connected Tuesday aft admitting she released thousands of confidential find documents that she had agreed to support private.

Because of Lambert's actions, the documents that each parties "had agreed to support confidential, person present been shared wide successful the nationalist domain," U.S. District Court Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya wrote successful a 62-page opinion.

"Lambert's repeated misconduct raises the superior interest that she became progressive successful this litigation for the sheer intent of gaining entree to and publically sharing Dominion's protected discovery," wrote Upadhyaya.

Lambert's lawyer, Daniel Hartman, said by telephone Wednesday that Lambert plans to entreaty the decision.

"We are appealing," Byrne wrote successful a substance to The Associated Press. "They whitethorn deliberation it was a tactical victory, but they volition travel to recognize it was a strategical mistake."

Lambert acknowledged earlier this twelvemonth passing connected records from Dominion Voting Systems to "law enforcement." She past attached an affidavit that included immoderate of the leaked emails and was signed by Dar Leaf — a region sheriff successful southwestern Michigan who has investigated mendacious claims of wide predetermination fraud from the 2020 predetermination — to a filing successful her ain lawsuit successful Michigan. The remainder of the documents were posted to an relationship nether Leaf's sanction connected the societal level X.

As a result, Dominion filed a question demanding Lambert beryllium removed from the Byrne lawsuit for violating a protective bid that Upadhyaya had placed connected documents successful the case. It said Lambert's disclosure had triggered a caller circular of threats toward the company, which has been astatine the halfway of elaborate conspiracy theories astir Trump's loss.

The petition was described by Upadhyaya arsenic "extraordinary" but indispensable aft Lambert has repeatedly shown she "has nary respect for orders oregon her obligations arsenic an attorney."

In a abstracted case, Lambert has been charged successful Michigan with 4 felonies for accessing voting machines successful a hunt for grounds of a conspiracy mentation against Trump. She was arrested by U.S. Marshals earlier this twelvemonth aft a Michigan justice issued a seat warrant for missing a proceeding successful her case.

Along with a section clerk successful Michigan, Lambert has besides been charged with aggregate felonies, including unauthorized entree to a machine and utilizing a machine to perpetrate a crime, aft transmitting information from a section township's canvass publication related to the 2020 election.

Lambert has pleaded not blameworthy successful some cases.

She sued unsuccessfully to overturn Trump's nonaccomplishment successful Michigan.

Mr. Biden won Michigan by astir 155,000 votes implicit then-President Trump, a effect confirmed by a GOP-led authorities Senate probe successful 2021.

Dominion filed respective defamation lawsuits against those who dispersed conspiracy theories blaming its predetermination instrumentality for Trump's loss. Fox News settled the astir salient of these cases for $787 cardinal past year.

Dominion's suit against Byrne is 1 of respective the institution has filed against salient predetermination deniers, including MyPillow laminitis Mike Lindell and lawyer Sidney Powell.