Election Software Firm Drops Case Against True the Vote

True the Vote founder and president Catherine Engelbrecht makes a point during a presentation on ballot trafficking at the Arizona State House of Representatives on May 31, 2022. Seated next to her is True the Vote data investigator Gregg Phillips. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

An election software company has dropped its case against election integrity group True the Vote.

Konnech, the company, told a federal court in Texas on April 19 that it was voluntarily dismissing the case.

Konnech sued True the Vote and two of its officials, including founder Catherine Engelbrecht, for alleged defamation and unlawful access to Konnech’s information. The lawsuit led to the imprisonment of Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips, the other official, after Phillips described several people being present when he accessed data believed to be from Konnech in a hotel room in 2021.

True the Vote agreed to the voluntary dismissal of the case. Court papers don’t state a reason for the decision.

“Konnech’s litigation was meritless and intended to harass this organization. They have failed," True the Vote said in a statement.

The group also said, “We believe Konnech dismissed its lawsuit because it saw that it would lose.”

Konnech didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Engelbrecht noted that an appeals court overruled U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt, the Reagan appointee who jailed her and her colleague, finding that Hoyt improperly tried to compel the officials to reveal the identity of a person who had access to Konnech data.

“Konnech’s aggressive litigation to shut down all conversation about their activities resulted in the wrongful imprisonment of Gregg Phillips and me. It required the intervention of a higher court to release us,“ Engelbrecht said in a statement. ”We are more dedicated than ever to our mission of fostering a public conversation about voting integrity.”

Phillips said, “Our commitment to seeking justice remains steadfast.”

Hoyt had recently recused himself from the case for reasons not indicated on the record.

The case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it can be brought before the court again. Before the dismissal, the parties were engaged in discovery and heading toward trial.

True the Vote stated that it was exploring its legal options regarding holding Konnech accountable for what the group described as “unwarranted actions.”

Konnech makes software that helps officials administer elections. It was founded by Eugene Yu, who was arrested after the firm allegedly stored data on election workers on servers in China, violating a contract with Los Angeles County. A court in the county later dismissed the charges against Yu at the request of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, a Democrat whose office stated that there was “potential bias in the presentation and investigation of the evidence.”