13 hours ago
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell liable for defamation, must pay $2.3M
A federal jury in Denver on Monday found MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell liable for defamation over statements he made about a former employee of Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, according to local reports.
Why it matters: Lindell is one of the nation's most prominent election conspiracy theorists, and the trial challenged him to present hard evidence about alleged 2020 election rigging, which he failed to do.
By the numbers: The jury ordered Lindell to pay $2.3 million to former Dominion Voting Systems executive Eric Coomer, finding Lindell engaged in a civil conspiracy with the company to disseminate false information about election fraud, 9News reports.
Lindell will personally owe Coomer $440,500 in damages, while his company, the online platform formerly called FrankSpeech, must pay $1.9 million in damages.
State of play: Coomer worked as director of product strategy and security for Dominion and sought $62.7 million in damages, per CPR News.
His lawsuit alleged the MyPillow CEO used his media platforms to amplify false claims, including calling Coomer a "traitor," per the AP.
Zoom out: Lindell has been in court previously for pushing false claims about 2020 election fraud.
Notably, Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.3 billion lawsuit against Lindell in 2021.
Last year, a federal judge ordered him to pay a man the $5 million reward he promised at a "Prove Mike Wrong Challenge" about the 2020 election.
In 2022, a federal judge sanctioned him for what the judge called "frivolous" claims against Smartmatic Corp.
What they're saying: Lindell's team contended that his statements were protected speech.
