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Time of India
an hour ago
- Business
- Time of India
Who is Mike Lindell? MyPillow CEO ordered to pay $2.3 million for defaming ex-Dominion employee; conspiracy theories land him in court
Mike Lindell MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a vocal election conspiracy theorist, has been found guilty of defaming a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems. The case stems from statements he made following the 2020 US presidential election. A federal jury in Colorado on Monday ordered Lindell and his online media platform, formerly called Frankspeech, to pay $2.3 million in damages to Eric Coomer, the ex-director of product strategy and security at Dominion. The panel found that two specific statements made by Lindell, including referring to Coomer as a 'traitor,' were defamatory. Coomer's lawyers had sought $62.7 million in damages to send a broader message against attacks on election workers. 'This is hurting democracy' During the two-week trial, Coomer described how his life and career were shattered by conspiracy theories linking him to election fraud. His legal team argued Lindell had either knowingly spread lies or had acted with reckless disregard for the truth. 'This is hurting democracy. This is misinformation. It's not been vetted and it needs to stop,' Coomer's attorney Charles Cain told jurors during closing arguments. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo While the damages awarded fell short of expectations, Cain insisted that the verdict sends an important message. 'People who work behind the scenes of elections should not be attacked,' he said. Yet he admitted Coomer is 'still going to be looking over his shoulder.' Lindell refuses to back down Lindell said he would appeal the verdict, maintaining that Coomer had not proven any real harm. He also declared his intention to continue campaigning against electronic voting machines. 'I will not stop talking until we don't have voting machines in this country,' Lindell said after the verdict. Throughout the trial, Lindell stuck to his unproven claim that the 2020 election was stolen, though he did not call any expert witnesses or provide evidence in court. He also defended his remarks about Coomer, saying he calls 'many people traitors.' Frankspeech cleared on most other claims The jury determined that Lindell and Frankspeech were liable for two of the 10 statements in question. They found the remaining eight comments made either by Lindell or others on Frankspeech were not defamatory. Lindell's legal team argued that Frankspeech was not responsible for statements made by guests and insisted the CEO's remarks were protected under the First Amendment as comments on matters of public interest. However, Coomer's lawyers stressed that accusing someone of treason was a criminal charge, not protected opinion. The jury sided with Coomer on that point. Impact of conspiracy theories Coomer was not widely known until he was thrust into the spotlight by right-wing media and supporters of US President Donald Trump after the 2020 election. He said the allegations destroyed his livelihood and subjected him to violent threats. He singled out Lindell's statements as especially harmful, including one from May 9, 2021, where Lindell accused him of 'treason.' Although Lindell only mentioned Coomer months after others had done so, the former Dominion employee said the MyPillow founder's high-profile platform intensified the harassment. Coomer also acknowledged that his own Facebook posts criticising Trump were 'hyperbolic' and a mistake, but maintained they did not justify being falsely labelled a traitor. Background of false claims Dominion Voting Systems, based in Denver, has been a frequent target of election fraud conspiracy theories. The company previously reached a $787 million settlement in a separate defamation case against Fox News. It also has a pending lawsuit against Newsmax, which apologised to Coomer in 2021 for promoting false allegations. Lindell said his belief in widespread voter fraud was partly based on the 2020 HBO documentary Kill Chain and the views of Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser. Lindell also distanced himself from a claim made by a Colorado podcaster who said a man named Eric on an Antifa call vowed Trump would not win the election. He insisted he had never accused Coomer of rigging the election, though he admitted frustration with Newsmax for allegedly blocking him from appearing after it apologised to Coomer. Coomer denied any such deal existed. Lindell testified that before he began speaking out about the election, he was worth $60 million. He now says he is $10 million in debt. Multiple audits, recounts and investigations in contested states have confirmed President Joe Biden's victory in 2020. Trump and his legal team lost dozens of court cases challenging the outcome, and even Trump's then attorney general stated there was no evidence of widespread fraud.
7 hours ago
- Politics
Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed former employee for a leading voting equipment company
DENVER -- A federal jury in Colorado on Monday found that one of the nation's most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, defamed a former employee for a leading voting equipment company after the 2020 presidential election. The jury found that two of Lindell's statements about Eric Coomer, the former security and product strategy director at Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, including calling him a traitor, were defamatory. It ordered Lindell and his online media platform, formerly known as Frankspeech, to pay Coomer $2.3 million in damages, far less than the $62.7 million Coomer had asked for to help send a message to discourage attacks on election workers. 'This is hurting democracy. This is misinformation. It's not been vetted and it needs to stop,' Charles Cain, one of Coomer's attorneys, told jurors in closing arguments Friday. Lindell said he would appeal the financial award, saying Coomer's lawyers did not prove Coomer had been harmed. He also said he would continue to speak out about election security, including criticizing the makers of election equipment like Dominion. 'I will not stop talking until we don't have voting machines in this country,' said Lindell, who backs paper ballots counted by hand. Lindell stuck by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen during the trial, but did not call any experts to present evidence of his claims. Cain faulted Lindell for being 'all hat and no cattle." Even though the damage award was smaller than he had asked for, Cain said he thought it would still send a message that people who work behind the scenes of elections should not be attacked. But he said Coomer, who has recevied death threats, is 'still going to be looking over his shoulder.' Dominion's voting machines became the target of elaborate conspiracy theories among allies of President Donald Trump, who continues to falsely claim that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 was due to widespread fraud. Dominion won a $787 million settlement in a defamation lawsuit it filed against Fox News over its airing of false claims against the company and has another lawsuit against the conservative network Newsmax. Newsmax apologized to Coomer in 2021 for airing false allegations against him. Coomer said during the two-week Lindell trial that his career and life were destroyed by the statements. His lawyers said Lindell either knew the statements were lies, or conveyed them recklessly without knowing if they were true. Lindell's lawyers denied the claims and said Frankspeech was not liable for statements made by others. The jury found that eight other statements made by Lindell and others appearing on Frankspeech were not. Lindell said he went to trial to draw attention to the need to get rid of electronic voting machines that have been targeted in a web of conspiracy theories. He said he used to be worth about $60 million before he started speaking out about the 2020 election and is now $10 million in debt. Reviews, recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump contested his loss in 2020 all affirmed Democrat Joe Biden's victory. Trump's attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud, and Trump and his allies lost dozens of court cases seeking to overturn the result. Lindell said his beliefs that the 2020 election was tainted by fraud were influenced by watching the 2020 HBO documentary 'Kill Chain' and by the views of Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. In an interview for a documentary Lindell made in 2021, Flynn said foreign interference was going to happen in U.S. elections, and Lindell said he had no reason to doubt the claim since Flynn had worked for both political parties in intelligence. Lindell distanced himself from an account by a Colorado podcaster who claimed to have heard a conference call from the anti-fascist group Antifa before the 2020 election. The podcaster claimed that on the call someone named Eric from Dominion said he would make sure that Trump would not win, a story that was recounted on Frankspeech during a 2021 event. Lindell said he only learned about that during the trial. Lindell said he never accused Coomer of rigging the election, but he did say he was upset because he said Newsmax blocked him from being able to go on air to talk about voting machines after it apologized to Coomer. Coomer denied there was any such deal to block Lindell under his agreement with the network. Coomer's lawyers tried to show how their client's life was devastated by the conspiracy theories spreading about him. Lindell was comparatively late to seize on Coomer, not mentioning him until February 2021, well after his name had been circulated by other Trump partisans. Coomer said the conspiracy theories cost him his job, his mental health and the life he'd built and said Lindell's statements were the most distressing of all. He specifically pointed to a statement on May 9, 2021, when Lindell described what he believed Coomer had done as 'treason.' Lindell's attorneys argued that Coomer's reputation was already in tatters by the time Lindell mentioned him. They said that was partly because of Coomer's own Facebook posts disparaging Trump, which the former Dominion employee acknowledged were 'hyperbolic' and had been a mistake. Lindell denied making any statements he knew to be false about Coomer and testified that he has called many people traitors. His lawyers argued the statements were about a matter of public concern — elections — and therefore protected by the First Amendment. But Coomer's lawyers said the statements crossed the line into defamation because Lindell accused Coomer of treason, a crime.
The Independent
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell loses $2.3 million defamation case
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell lost a $2.3 million defamation case to a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems on Monday. Lindell is known for spreading baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, and it has cost him. He said he was once worth roughly $60 million and is now $10 million in debt, The Associated Press reported. A federal jury has found Lindell guilty of defaming Eric Coomer, a former security and product strategy director for Dominion Voting Systems, according to the AP. Lindell and other supporters of President Donald Trump have made false claims that the companies' voting machines rigged the 2020 election in former President Joe Biden's favor, The New York Times reported. While Lindell's lawyers argued the statements were protected by the First Amendment because elections are a matter of public concern, Coomer's lawyers claimed they were defamation because their client was accused of a crime, the AP reported. Coomer said his career, mental health and his life in general were destroyed after Lindell accused him of 'treason' and statements streamed on Lindell's online media platform, formerly called Frankspeech, accused him of stealing the 2020 election. The former Dominion employee's lawyers claimed that Lindell either knew the statements were false or they were conveyed recklessly without knowing whether they were true. Lindell stood by his false election conspiracies, but he denied making any statements he knew to be false about Coomer. He also said he never accused Coomer of rigging the election and that he's called many people traitors. The MyPillow founder's lawyers said that Lindell's platform is not liable for statements made by others and claimed that Coomer's reputation was already ruined by the time Lindell mentioned him in 2021. Lindell's lawyers partly blamed Coomer's downfall on his own Facebook posts that disparaged Trump. Coomer did acknowledge the 'hyperbolic' posts were a mistake. for $787 million in April 2023 for airing false claims that its machines switched votes from Trump to Biden. Dominion also won a victory in a lawsuit against Newsmax this past April when a judge ruled that the network falsely accused the voting machine company of rigging the 2020 election.
NBC News
9 hours ago
- Business
- NBC News
Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed a former voting equipment firm employee
DENVER — A federal jury in Colorado on Monday found that one of the nation's most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, defamed a former employee for a leading voting equipment company after the 2020 presidential election. The employee, Eric Coomer, sued after Lindell called him a traitor and accusations about him stealing the election were streamed on Lindell's online media platform. Coomer was the security and product strategy director at Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, whose voting machines became the target of elaborate conspiracy theories among allies of President Donald Trump, who continues to falsely claim that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 was due to widespread fraud. Dominion won a $787 million settlement in a defamation lawsuit it filed against Fox News over its airing of false claims against the company and has another lawsuit against the conservative network Newsmax. Newsmax apologized to Coomer in 2021 for airing false allegations against him. Coomer said during the two-week Lindell trial that his career and life were destroyed by the statements. His lawyers said Lindell either knew the statements were lies, or conveyed them recklessly without knowing if they were true. Lindell's lawyers denied the claims and said his online platform, formerly known as Frankspeech, is not liable for statements made by others. Lindell said he went to trial to draw attention to the need to get rid of electronic voting machines that have been targeted in a web of conspiracy theories. He said he used to be worth about $60 million before he started speaking out about the 2020 election and is now $10 million in debt. Reviews, recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump contested his loss in 2020 all affirmed Democrat Joe Biden's victory. Trump's attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud, and Trump and his allies lost dozens of court cases seeking to overturn the result. Lindell stuck by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen during the trial, but did not call any experts to present evidence of his claims. Lindell said his beliefs that the 2020 election was tainted by fraud were influenced by watching the 2020 HBO documentary 'Kill Chain' and by the views of Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. In an interview for a documentary Lindell made in 2021, Flynn said foreign interference was going to happen in U.S. elections, and Lindell said he had no reason to doubt the claim since Flynn had worked for both political parties in intelligence. Lindell distanced himself from an account by a Colorado podcaster who claimed to have heard a conference call from the anti-fascist group Antifa before the 2020 election. The podcast claimed that on the call someone named Eric from Dominion said he would make sure that Trump would not win, a story that was recounted on Frankspeech during a 2021 event. Lindell said he only learned about that during the trial. Lindell said he never accused Coomer of rigging the election, but he did say he was upset because he said Newsmax blocked him from being able to go on air to talk about voting machines after it apologized to Coomer. Coomer denied there was any such deal to block Lindell under his agreement with the network. Coomer's lawyers tried to show how their client's life was devastated by the conspiracy theories spreading about him. Lindell was comparatively late to seize on Coomer, not mentioning him until February 2021, well after his name had been circulated by other Trump partisans. Coomer said the conspiracy theories cost him his job, his mental health and the life he'd built and said Lindell's statements were the most distressing of all. He specifically pointed to a statement on May 9, 2021, when Lindell described what he believed Coomer had done as 'treason.' Lindell's attorneys argued that Coomer's reputation was already in tatters by the time Lindell mentioned him. They said that was partly because of Coomer's own Facebook posts disparaging Trump, which the former Dominion employee acknowledged were 'hyperbolic' and had been a mistake.
Politico
9 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell loses defamation case
DENVER — A federal jury in Colorado on Monday found that one of the nation's most prominent election conspiracy theorists, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, defamed a former employee for a leading voting equipment company after the 2020 presidential election. The employee, Eric Coomer, was awarded $2.3 million in damages. He had sued after Lindell called him a traitor and accusations about him stealing the election were streamed on Lindell's online media platform. Coomer was the security and product strategy director at Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, whose voting machines became the target of elaborate conspiracy theories among allies of President Donald Trump, who continues to falsely claim that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 was due to widespread fraud. Dominion won a $787 million settlement in a defamation lawsuit it filed against Fox News over its airing of false claims against the company and has another lawsuit against the conservative network Newsmax. Newsmax apologized to Coomer in 2021 for airing false allegations against him. Coomer said during the two-week Lindell trial that his career and life were destroyed by the statements. His lawyers said Lindell either knew the statements were lies, or conveyed them recklessly without knowing if they were true. Lindell's lawyers denied the claims and said his online platform, formerly known as Frankspeech, is not liable for statements made by others. Lindell said he went to trial to draw attention to the need to get rid of electronic voting machines that have been targeted in a web of conspiracy theories. He said he used to be worth about $60 million before he started speaking out about the 2020 election and is now $10 million in debt. Reviews, recounts and audits in the battleground states where Trump contested his loss in 2020 all affirmed Democrat Joe Biden's victory. Trump's attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud, and Trump and his allies lost dozens of court cases seeking to overturn the result. Lindell stuck by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen during the trial, but did not call any experts to present evidence of his claims. Lindell said his beliefs that the 2020 election was tainted by fraud were influenced by watching the 2020 HBO documentary 'Kill Chain' and by the views of Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. In an interview for a documentary Lindell made in 2021, Flynn said foreign interference was going to happen in U.S. elections, and Lindell said he had no reason to doubt the claim since Flynn had worked for both political parties in intelligence. Lindell distanced himself from an account by a Colorado podcaster who claimed to have heard a conference call from the anti-fascist group Antifa before the 2020 election. The podcast claimed that on the call someone named Eric from Dominion said he would make sure that Trump would not win, a story that was recounted on Frankspeech during a 2021 event. Lindell said he only learned about that during the trial. Lindell said he never accused Coomer of rigging the election, but he did say he was upset because he said Newsmax blocked him from being able to go on air to talk about voting machines after it apologized to Coomer. Coomer denied there was any such deal to block Lindell under his agreement with the network. Coomer's lawyers tried to show how their client's life was devastated by the conspiracy theories spreading about him. Lindell was comparatively late to seize on Coomer, not mentioning him until February 2021, well after his name had been circulated by other Trump partisans. Coomer said the conspiracy theories cost him his job, his mental health and the life he'd built and said Lindell's statements were the most distressing of all. He specifically pointed to a statement May 9, 2021, when Lindell described what he believed Coomer had done as 'treason.'
