Mike Lindell verdict: MyPillow founder defamed former voting equipment company boss
A federal jury has found MyPillow founder Mike Lindell liable for defaming a former Colorado voting system executive after the 2020 presidential election.
The Denver-based jury determined on June 16 that Lindell made "baseless conspiracy theories claiming election fraud in the 2020 election" and slandered Eric Coomer, a former director at Dominion Voting Systems, a North American company that makes and sells voting machines and tabulators.
Coomer filed the suit in the District of Colorado in May 2022, claiming Lindell and two of his companies − MyPillow and FrankSpeech − helped spread a conspiracy theory that he rigged the election against President Donald Trump.
More: Why is Mike Lindell in court? MyPillow CEO on trial for defamation lawsuit
According to the 67-page suit obtained by USA TODAY, Lindell previously called Coomer "a traitor."
The trial started on June 2 and lasted two weeks, online court records show.
'We're thrilled with the verdict,' said Coomer's attorney, Charles Caine, told Colorado Public Radio (CPR), after the jury handed down its decision, adding his client has "gone through a lot and he's still going to be looking over his shoulder... Hopefully this serves as deterrence for individuals working on our elections from being targeted."
USA TODAY has reached out to Caine as well as Lindell's attorneys.
Lindell, 63, has publicly defended his claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
"They're coming after me and MyPillow for telling the truth about our elections!" Lindell wrote on May 31 on Facebook.
After the verdict, Lindell was ordered to pay nearly $2.3 million in damages, CPR reported, a number nowhere near the award amount Coomer had requested ($62.7 million). Jurors, the outlet said, rejected claims Lindell and his two companies were responsible for comments made by others on social media platforms he controlled.
According to court documents, Lindell aligned himself with podcaster Joseph Oltmann to spread a conspiracy theory he was involved in rigging voting systems during the 2020 election.
Lindell spread a claim that originated from Oltmann, who is alleged to have made up a story about overhearing someone identified only as 'Eric, the Dominion guy' claiming to have rigged the election against Trump.
Oltmann disclosed the alleged claims on an episode of his podcast, which aired after former President Joe Biden's victory in November 2020, according to the lawsuit. The podcaster also said he infiltrated the conference call for a left-wing political group, which is where "Eric" made the claims on an unspecified date months before the election, the complaint says.
Lindell amplified the claim online, jurors found, causing threats against Coomer, whom Oltmann later identified as the anonymous 'Eric."
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Lindell found liable for defaming former voting system executive
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'We have to dismantle a 40-year-old supply chain': Toy company appeals to the Supreme Court over Trump's tariffs
Two toy companies are asking the Supreme Court to hear their tariff lawsuit before lower courts do. Two courts have ruled the tariffs illegal in separate cases on different grounds. The CEO of a plaintiff company says his company is facing an emergency and "time is of the essence." President Donald Trump's tariffs may face their final fate at the Supreme Court soon. Two Illinois-based educational toy companies filed an emergency request Tuesday asking the Supreme Court to take up their case as soon as possible, rather than letting it continue to play out in lower courts since "it will inevitably fall to this Court to resolve it definitively." Toy companies Learning Resources and hand2mind filed an initial suit on April 22, challenging Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs without going through Congress. "For months, we've had dozens of people working full-time or part-time on addressing all aspects of the tariffs — you can hardly imagine anything more disruptive," Rick Woldenberg, CEO of Learning Resources, told Business Insider. "This is an emergency, and so time is of the essence." The IEEPA tariffs have thus far been ruled unlawful by both the US District Court in the District of Columbia and the Court of International Trade on different grounds in separate lawsuits, including Woldenberg's case filed in Washington, DC. But in both instances, the Court of Appeals has stayed the injunction on the tariffs. "In light of the tariffs' massive impact on virtually every business and consumer across the Nation, and the unremitting whiplash caused by the unfettered tariffing power the President claims, challenges to the IEEPA tariffs cannot await the normal appellate process," wrote Pratik A. Shah, the lawyer for the case, in the petition to the Supreme Court. Learning Resources and hand2mind are not the only businesses to have sued over Trump's tariffs. At least two similar lawsuits, one from a small women-owned business in Florida and the other from five owner-run businesses across various states, are facing similar court proceedings. Neither has thus far appealed to the Supreme Court, as their cases are also stayed by federal appeals courts. The lawsuits share the common argument that Trump has overstepped his authority by imposing tariffs under IEEPA, a law they said does not give the president unilateral power to impose trade duties. The toy companies are specifically suing over Trump's 10% baseline tariff on most imports and an additional 20% tariff on Chinese goods, which the president said were responses to national security concerns and drug trafficking. "There are no rules, we don't know what our costs are, and we are generally given 36 hours of advance notice to change how we operate our business," Woldenberg said. "We have to dismantle a 40-year-old supply chain. There are tremendous amounts of costs associated with that which are not recoverable in any way, shape, or form." It is uncommon for the Supreme Court to intervene before a lower court rules, and the Court's next term starts in October. Data show businesses and consumers are feeling the impacts of the tariffs. In the month of May, retail and food services sales faced a larger drop than economists had expected, down 0.9% compared to April. The National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index also shows worse sentiment for June than Bloomberg experts had expected, at just 32 points. A score above 50 is generally considered a favorable outlook on home sales. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jane Goodall chimpanzee conservation project in Tanzania hit by USAID cuts
The US government funding cuts will hit a chimpanzee conservation project nurtured by the primatologist Jane Goodall. USAID has been subjected to swingeing cuts under Donald Trump, with global effects that are still unfolding. Now it has emerged that the agency will withdraw from the Hope Through Action project managed by the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). USAID had pledged $29.5m (£22m) over five years to the project, which was designed to protect endangered chimpanzees and their habitats in western Tanzania. Launched in November 2023, the project is intended to protect endangered chimpanzees through reforestation and 'community-led methodology' in order to conserve biodiversity conservation and improve local livelihoods. Its work is built upon Jane Goodall's 'redefined species conservation' by highlighting the importance of cooperation between local people and the natural environment to protect chimpanzees from extinction. According to JGI figures, chimpanzees have become extinct in three African countries, and overall population numbers have fallen from millions to below 340,000. Goodall criticised Trump during his first term in office when he signed an executive order dismantling Barack Obama's clean power plan. She called Trump's climate agenda 'immensely depressing'. In collaboration with JGI Austria, Ecosia – a Berlin-based search engine that donates 100% of its profits to climate action – has offered $100,000 over the next three years to further JGI Tanzania's Gombe reforestation project. The donation far from covers the original funding amount, but it is intended to pay for the planting of 360,000 seedlings, work put at risk after the project was defunded. The director of JGI Austria, Diana Leizinger, said: 'We refuse to abandon people and nature. Where hope could have been destroyed, we are helping it grow again.' An analysis in April by Refugees International found that 98% of USAID's awards related to the climate had been discontinued. USAID was approached for comment.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US toy retailers grapple with effects of trump's tariffs
US toy retailers are facing mounting challenges as the trade tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump continue to squeeze margins and complicate sourcing strategies. With nearly 80% of toys sold in the United States produced in China, many businesses are reporting delayed shipments, rising costs and even legal action—all as hopes hinge on the expiry of a temporary tariff pause in early July. Retailers are contending with a web of overlapping tariffs on Chinese imports, where duty rates now stack as high as 145% in some cases—far above the 30% headline figure quoted by officials. Smaller toy importers are disproportionately affected, with many forced to increase prices or eat some of the added costs to stay afloat. Alignable reports that over 57% of small retailers expect revenue losses due to this uncertainty. The combination of high tariffs and shifting trade policy has caused substantial supply chain delays. Companies such as Basic Fun! rushed to forward-ship container loads while the tariffs were temporarily reduced from 145% to 30%—an effort that offered short-term relief but failed to eliminate ongoing uncertainty. Multiple firms have also started cutting orders or narrowing their product lines in anticipation of possible disruptions, especially during crucial retail periods like the lead-up to Christmas. Several toymakers have taken legal action against the administration. Learning Resources, an Illinois-based educational toy producer with around 500 employees, has sued the federal government, arguing Trump exceeded his authority under IEEPA in imposing steep tariffs. St Paul's Mischief Toy Store has joined similar litigation claiming the 145% levy is unconstitutional. These challenges follow broader legal rulings, such as a Federal Trade Court decision in late May blocking the so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs under IEEPA—though that ruling remains stayed during appeal. Meanwhile, larger toy manufacturers are proactively shifting production to countries like Vietnam, India and Indonesia. Major brands such as Mattel, Hasbro and MGA Entertainment have accelerated their transition away from China—MGA, for instance, plans to boost output from alternate sites from around 15% to 40% in the next six months. The current 90-day tariff reduction is set to expire in early July, re-establishing uncertainty for importers who must rapidly adapt or lock in alternative supply chains. Analysts warn that sustained high duties may lead to permanent business closures in the SME sector, reduced innovation capacity and higher prices at the checkout for consumers—especially families with school-age children. With courts mulling the legality of the tariffs and retailers racing to diversify their sourcing, the US toy industry remains on edge. Any extension or change in tariff policy could determine whether small toymakers and independent stores survive the current economic squeeze—or succumb to rising costs and regulatory the shifting tariff landscape with real-time data and market-leading analysis. Request a free demo for GlobalData's Strategic Intelligence . "US toy retailers grapple with effects of trump's tariffs" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
