- A judge ordered Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and other lawyers to pay thousands in fees to Michigan officials.
- The ruling comes a year after the legal team tried to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.
- The Michigan lawsuit was one of four failed attempts brought by Powell in battleground states.
A federal judge on Thursday ordered Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and seven other attorneys to pay thousands of dollars in attorneys fees to Michigan officials and the city of Detroit as a result of the lawyers' attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state.
US District Judge Linda Parker sanctioned the legal team in August for their 2020 lawsuit in Michigan, which claimed wide-spread voter fraud in last year's election. The judge dismissed their lawsuit last December, calling the attempt a "historic and profound abuse of the judicial process" this past summer.
The Michigan lawsuit was one of four post-election cases Powell brought in battleground states — all of which eventually failed.
—Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) December 2, 2021
The nine attorneys became known as the "Kraken lawyers" in 2020 after Powell compared their efforts to "releasing the Kraken," referencing the film "The Clash of the Titans."
Parker ruled Thursday that the nine lawyers will have to pay $21,964 to the state of Michigan on behalf of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Parker also ordered that another $153,285.62 go to the city of Detroit.
The lesser amount was the exact number Whitmer and Benson had requested, while the city was granted slightly less than it had asked for after Parker noted miscalculations in the city's fee total.
The attorneys were ordered to attend at least 12 hours of continuing legal training on the topics of election law and pleading standards, and Parker also referred the lawyers to licensing disciplinary boards.
Donald Campbell, the attorney representing Powell, Wood, and other members of the co-counsel, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
According to Forbes, Powell and the other attorneys still have the option to appeal Parker's ruling, which would halt the order amid ongoing litigation.
The legal team faces possible charges in Wisconsin as well, where state Gov. Tony Evers made a similar request for more than $100,000. Powell is also involved in several defamation lawsuits — including one from Dominion Voting Machines, which she baselessly accused of rigging the election — and faces possible disbarment in Texas.