Federal Judge Orders Stacey Abrams Group To Reimburse Georgia $230K for Spurious Election Lawsuit

On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered Stacey Abrams’s Fair Fight Action pay more than $200,000 to the state of Georgia to cover legal fees related to a spurious suit that claimed Governor. Brian Kemp (R.), stole the 2018 gubernatorial elections.

Abrams formed the group after he lost to Kemp, then-secretary-of-state. She claimed Kemp used the position to disenfranchise minority voter voters in the run-up to the election. In September, Fair Fight Action was discredited on all counts by a federal judge. This decision came after a four-year legal battle. Provided There is no evidence to suggest that Georgian voters were unable to vote.

Fair Fight Action must pay $192,628.85 for transcription fees and $38,674.86 for copying costs Georgia incurred when it defended itself against the group’s lawsuit. According to a bill, costs submitted Tuesday, by the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia

Brad Raffensberger (R.), Georgia secretary-of-state, hailed the order for its positive impact on the state’s voters and taxpayers.

“Stacey Abrams’s voter suppression claims were false. It has never been easier to vote and harder to cheat in the state of Georgia,” Raffensberger made the statement in a statement. “This is a start, but I think Stacey Abrams should pay back the millions of taxpayer dollars the state was forced to spend to disprove her false claims.”

Fair Fight Action’s finances were under scrutiny after October. Politico revealed The group paid $9.4million in legal fees to Allegra Lawrence-Hardy’s law firm, which was close friends of Abrams. She also chaired her failed 2022 and 2018 gubernatorial campaigns. In 2019 and 2020, the group spent over $25 million in legal fees. The bulk of that went towards its failed Georgia lawsuit.

According to ethics watchdogs, Fair Fight Action spent approximately a “shocking” amount on the case, and that the close relationship of Abrams to Lawrence-Hardy raises concerns about conflict-of interest.

“Fair Fight Action ought to explain why this lawsuit cost so much,” Kathleen Clark, Washington University in St. Louis law ethics professor “I think there are significant questions about this choice of firm and just why this lawsuit was so much more expensive.”

Fair Fight Action is not the only Abrams-linked organization accused of financial fraud.

Abrams started the New Georgia Project in 2013 and half of its leadership team was fired in October due to a lack funds.