LANSING, Mich. (AP) 鈥� A pro-Trump lawyer who is facing in Michigan of improperly following the 2020 presidential election has been disqualified from representing a prominent funder who is being sued by Dominion Voting Systems.
Michigan lawyer Stefanie Lambert has been representing Patrick Byrne, the founder of Overstock.com, in a defamation lawsuit brought against him by Dominion, one of the main targets of conspiracy theories over former President Donald Trump鈥檚 2020 election loss.
Lambert was disqualified from the case on Tuesday after admitting to releasing thousands of confidential discovery documents that she had agreed to keep private.
Due to Lambert鈥檚 actions, the documents that all parties 鈥渉ad agreed to keep confidential, have now been shared widely in the public domain,鈥� U.S. District Court Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya wrote in a 62-page opinion.
鈥淟ambert鈥檚 repeated misconduct raises the serious concern that she became involved in this litigation for the sheer purpose of gaining access to and publicly sharing Dominion鈥檚 protected discovery,鈥� wrote Upadhyaya.
Lambert's lawyer, Daniel Hartman, said by phone Wednesday that Lambert would be 鈥渁ppealing the decision.鈥�
鈥淲e are appealing,鈥� Byrne wrote in a text to The Associated Press. 鈥淭hey may think it was a tactical victory, but they will come to understand it was a strategic mistake.鈥�
Lambert acknowledged earlier this year passing on records from to 鈥渓aw enforcement.鈥� She then attached an affidavit that included some of the leaked emails and was signed by 鈥� a county sheriff in southwestern Michigan who has investigated of widespread election fraud from the 2020 election 鈥� to a filing in her own case in Michigan. The rest of the documents were posted to an account under Leaf鈥檚 name on the social platform X.
As a result, Dominion filed a motion demanding Lambert be removed from the Byrne case for violating a protective order that Upadhyaya had placed on documents in the case. It said Lambert鈥檚 disclosure had triggered a new round of threats toward the company, which has been at the center of elaborate conspiracy theories about Trump鈥檚 loss.
The request was described by Upadhyaya as 鈥渆xtraordinary鈥� but necessary after Lambert has repeatedly shown she 鈥渉as no regard for orders or her obligations as an attorney.鈥�
In a separate case, Lambert has been charged in Michigan with four felonies for accessing voting machines in a search for evidence of a conspiracy theory against Trump. She was arrested by U.S. Marshals earlier this year after a Michigan judge issued a bench warrant for missing a hearing in her case.
Along with a local clerk in Michigan, Lambert has also been , including unauthorized access to a computer and using a computer to commit a crime, after transmitting data from a local township鈥檚 poll book related to the 2020 election.
Lambert has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Lambert sued unsuccessfully to overturn Trump鈥檚 loss in Michigan.
Biden won Michigan by nearly 155,000 votes over then-President Trump, a result confirmed by in 2021.
Dominion filed several defamation lawsuits against blaming its election equipment for Trump鈥檚 loss. the most prominent of these cases for $787 million last year.
Dominion鈥檚 suit against Byrne is one of several the company has filed against prominent election deniers, including MyPillow founder and attorney .
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Associated Press reporter Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.
Joey Cappelletti, The Associated Press
