An attorney charged with illegally accessing Michigan voting machines after the 2020 election has been removed from a high-profile defamation case involving Dominion Voting Systems.
According to The Hill, Stefanie Lambert, an attorney who represented former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, was disqualified on Tuesday from participating in the defamation lawsuit brought against Byrne by Dominion Voting Systems.
The decision was handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya, who cited Lambert's misconduct in leaking confidential documents as the basis for her removal.
Judge Upadhyaya's ruling followed a motion filed by Dominion earlier this year, arguing that Lambert had violated a protective order regarding handling Dominion’s internal records. The judge noted that disqualifying a lawyer from a case is "extraordinary and rarely granted outside of cases involving conflicts of interest." Still, in this instance, it was deemed necessary due to Lambert's actions.
Lambert, who has been embroiled in legal troubles of her own for allegedly accessing voting machines without authorization, reportedly shared Dominion’s protected discovery materials publicly.
These materials were later disseminated through various channels, fueling unfounded theories about widespread election fraud. Judge Upadhyaya described Lambert’s conduct as "truly egregious" and said it warranted her immediate disqualification.
The ruling revealed that Lambert had intentionally disregarded multiple court orders and rules despite receiving warnings about the potential consequences. This pattern of behavior, the judge indicated, posed a significant threat to the integrity of the ongoing litigation.
Lambert's involvement in the case raised serious concerns about her motives. According to Judge Upadhyaya, Lambert’s repeated violations suggested that she might have entered the litigation with the sole intent of accessing and sharing Dominion’s confidential information. The judge expressed concern that allowing Lambert to continue as counsel would only lead to further interference in the case.
The memorandum issued by the court highlighted that Byrne, Lambert's client, also violated the protective order, though the full extent of his actions remains unclear. The violations by both Lambert and Byrne have played a role in perpetuating false narratives about the 2020 election, which have been widely debunked.
In one instance, Lambert used Dominion's documents in a public filing related to her criminal case in Michigan. She also admitted on the social platform X that she had shared the evidence with law enforcement, actions that were later confirmed during a May hearing.
During the hearings, Lambert did not dispute the facts underlying Dominion's accusations or the authenticity of the documents she was accused of leaking.
Judge Upadhyaya concluded that Lambert’s continued participation in the case would be detrimental, stating that "this Court cannot allow such intentional, dangerous, and relentless misconduct to continue." As a result, Lambert was immediately disqualified from serving as counsel in the case.
In response to the ruling, a Dominion spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the decision, emphasizing that the case against Byrne would proceed and that Dominion would hold him accountable for the false claims made against the company. Meanwhile, Lambert has announced plans to appeal the decision, although the basis for her appeal has not been fully outlined.
