Mike Lindell Loses Defamation Case

A federal jury in Colorado ordered MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to pay $2.3 million in damages to Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems employee, for defamation stemming from false claims about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. 

Reuters reports Coomer, previously Dominion’s director of product strategy and security, sued Lindell in April 2022, alleging that Lindell’s baseless accusations of election fraud, including calling Coomer a “traitor” and claiming he helped rig the election, caused severe emotional distress, death threats, and the loss of his career in election security. The jury found three of ten cited statements by Lindell or his media platform, FrankSpeech, defamatory, though MyPillow itself was not held liable.

Lindell, a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, has consistently pushed debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, claiming Dominion’s voting machines manipulated results to favor Joe Biden. 

These claims, amplified by Lindell and others, including a Colorado podcaster who alleged Coomer was involved in an “Antifa” call to rig the election, were unsupported by evidence, as confirmed by election officials, audits, and courts. Coomer sought $62.7 million in damages, but the jury awarded $2.3 million, with his attorney noting it still sends a message against targeting election workers. 

Lindell, claiming financial hardship and millions in debt, called the verdict “lawfare” to silence him, vowed to appeal, and insisted he would continue opposing electronic voting machines