Sidney Powell tells court "no reasonable person" would take her voter fraud claims as fact

Washington — Lawyers for conservative attorney Sidney Powell told a federal court on Monday that "no reasonable person" would conclude her unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election were statements of fact as she fights a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems.

In a filing with the federal district court in the District of Columbia, Powell argued Dominion's case against her should be dismissed, as "it was clear to reasonable persons" her statements were her own opinions and legal theories. Members of the public, she said, were free to reach their own conclusions about whether Dominion rigged the election against former President Donald Trump, as Powell repeatedly claimed. "Determining whether a statement is protected involves a two-step inquiry: Is the statement one which can be proved true or false? And would reasonable people conclude that the statement is one of fact, in light of its phrasing, context and the circumstances surrounding its publication," her lawyers told the court. "Analyzed under these factors, and even assuming, arguendo, that each of the statements alleged in the complaint could be proved true or false, no reasonable person would conclude that the statements were truly statements of fact."