Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer asked the Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday to lift a temporary stay on his defamation lawsuit against former gubernatorial and current U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake.
The court last week granted Lake a temporary pause in the case while it considers whether to accept her appeal challenging Maricopa County Judge Jay Adleman’s decision last month to allow the suit to go forward. Richer and his attorneys filed a response in opposition to that petition.
“The petition should be denied and the administrative stay should be lifted,” the response reads.
It adds that the case “does not meet the high bar for special action relief” and is “a poor vehicle” for the courts to administer guidance on a recently revised state law intending to deter lawsuits that seek to censor or intimidate critics.
A spokesperson for Richer and his attorneys declined to comment on the recent filing. An attorney for Lake did not immediately respond to The Republic’s request for comment.