By Jan Wolfe

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A U.S. Judge ordered Sidney Powell to pay $175,000 to the attorneys who filed suit in Michigan against Democratic President Joe Biden to reverse his election win. This reaffirmed an earlier ruling that the lawsuit had been frivolous.

U.S. District Judge Linda Parker ruled August that Lin Wood, Powell and other attorneys aligned to former President Donald Trump would be sanctioned. She did not determine the dollar amount.

The amount was set at $175,000. Thursday’s decision made that determination. Parker suggested that Michigan and Detroit should receive the funds to make up for lost time by the government’s lawyers in defending the case.

“Plaintiffs’ attorneys filed this lawsuit without conducting the required degree of diligence as to the truth of the allegations made or the merits of the legal claims asserted,” Parker said in Thursday’s order.

Parker requested in writing that the disciplinary boards investigate the possibility of the lawyers representing Trump being stripped their law licenses. Parker also directed that lawyers attend seminars on ethical and legal issues related to filing legal claims.

Donald Campbell, Powell’s lawyer and Powell’s co-counsel did not respond immediately to our request for comment.

Trump used Powell to represent his campaign in court proceedings against him trying to overturn the Nov. 3 presidential election. The campaign distanced themselves from Powell following her claim that the electronic voting system had changed millions of ballots in favor of Biden, but she did not provide any evidence during a Nov. 19, news conference.

Parker stated that Powell’s allegations of voter fraud are “merely speculation and conjecture”, and that her Texas-based attorney waited too long before filing the lawsuit.

Powell argued that Powell’s conduct was reasonable in court filings, stating she had checked her election fraud claims prior to suing.

Beginning in January 2020, the Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, along with other government attorneys, asked for the judge’s discipline of the pro-Trump lawyer lawyers. They claimed that they had filed an unfounded lawsuit filled with typos and factual mistakes and needed to be held responsible.