Latest news with #falseclaims
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
MyPillow's Mike Lindell faces trial and plans to testify about 2020 election lies
A trial underway in Colorado could add to the financial problems facing the pillow salesman and prominent election denier Mike Lindell and will serve as another test of whether defamation law can be effective to fight false claims about elections. Opening statements began Tuesday in a case brought by Eric Coomer, who formerly worked in security and voting technology strategy for voting machine company Dominion. Coomer sued Lindell and a host of others who spread unproven claims that he interfered with the 2020 election. . Companies and individuals who were targeted by the right with false stolen election claims after the 2020 election have attempted to use defamation law to hold parties including Fox News and other rightwing media outlets accountable for false claims. Several lawsuits have been settled, including a claim Coomer brought against conservative outlet Newsmax, while juries have awarded damages in others, including a major judgment against Rudy Giuliani. The conspiracy theories about Coomer started with a rightwing podcaster in Colorado, Joe Oltmann, who claimed that someone who identified himself as 'Eric the Dominion guy' had been on an 'antifa' call where he said: 'Don't worry about the election, Trump is not gonna win. I made fucking sure of that.' Oltmann found some of Coomer's social media posts, which were anti-Donald Trump. Oltmann has not produced any tape of the alleged call, nor any other proof that Coomer manipulated the election. Coomer is also suing Oltmann, who is expected to testify this week in the Lindell trial. Lindell elevated Oltmann's claims and has fought the lawsuit, one of several he has faced over his election lies. His online TV network, LindellTV, is providing regular coverage of the case. On Monday, the day the jury was selected, Lindell held a news conference outside the courthouse before the trial began. He said he plans to take the stand at trial this week, telling Rolling Stone: 'Of course I'm gonna testify at my own trial! … I have nothing to hide. I am a former crack addict; I've always been open about that. I've always been open about everything! I'm as transparent as they come … So I have nothing to hide at this trial.' Coomer filed the lawsuit against Lindell in April 2022. Coomer's attorneys have argued Lindell's statements about Coomer were in part motivated by Newsmax not allowing Lindell to go on its programs after the company settled the lawsuit Coomer brought against it for spreading false claims, according to the Denver Post. Lindell's attorneys said Coomer's lawsuit against Lindell 'triggered' the pillow salesman into defaming Coomer, the paper reported. In videos shown to the jury on Tuesday, Lindell said Coomer had participated in 'the biggest crime this world has ever seen', reported 9 News, a local Denver news outlet. Lindell's attorneys said they would not show evidence of a rigged election because it was immaterial to Lindell's defense. 'It's just words. All Mike Lindell did was talk,' Chris Kachouroff, Lindell's attorney, said. 'Mike believed that he was telling the truth.' According to 9News, Coomer testified in the case on Tuesday, saying he has never interfered with an election and that Lindell's claims had caused intense disruption to his life. Coomer said he feared for his life, experienced death threats and had gone into hiding for a time. 'Ultimately it's to try to regain some semblance of my life. I didn't just lose my livelihood, I lost my life as a direct result of statements by Mr. Lindell accusing me of being a traitor,' Coomer said. Lindell is also being sued by Dominion and Smartmatic, another voting machine company. Those lawsuits have not made it to trial. Lindell has struggled to pay for his legal defense – a law firm that was representing him sought to be removed from his cases because he owed them millions of dollars and couldn't pay, the Star Tribune reported.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Donald Trump shares false social media post saying Joe Biden was 'executed in 2020'
President Donald Trump reshared a post falsely saying former President Joe Biden was "executed in 2020," among other incorrect allegations. The false claims, made by another user on Truth Social and reposted by Trump on May 31, also included that "clones doubles & robotic engineered soulless mindless entities" have since substituted for the ex-commander-in-chief. Biden was not executed, and he is still alive today. He served four years in the White House from 2021 to 2025. He sought a second term as president before ending his campaign last summer following a bombshell debate against Trump. In May, Biden shared that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. The former president has said he's "optimistic" about a treatment plan for the disease. 'The expectation is we're going to be able to beat this," Biden told reporters at an event in his home state of Delaware. Biden has also not been cloned, as the original Truth Social post suggested. USA TODAY has reached out to the White House for more information about Trump's repost. The president's comments come after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called for former first lady Jill Biden to speak up about her husband's alleged mental decline, saying she conspired to keep her husband's health from the American people. Trump has previously targeted prior presidents with false theories. For years leading up to his first White House term, Trump promoted baseless claims that former President Barack Obama was born outside the United States. The 45th and now 47th president publicly admitted for the first time that Obama was born in America two months before the 2016 election, in which he defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Contributing: Sarah D. Wire This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump boosts false claim that Joe Biden was 'executed in 2020'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Shocking lies of gun control activist who claimed he survived school shooting
A gun control activist has sparked outrage in his hometown after lying about surviving a high school shooting which never took place. Calvin Polachek, 23, claimed that his brother, best friend and nine classmates were killed in 2017 during a violent rampage at Dallas High School in rural Pennsylvania. In an emotional speech before the Kentucky State Capitol in February, Polachek recounted the horror of returning to campus a week after the alleged tragedy. He claimed that he was forced to routinely, 'walk past that spot where I saw my best friend and pretend it was all normal'. 'It was not normal,' he told the crowd, adding: 'Folks, that's been eight years, and I've been talking about this every single day since then for eight years. 'Eight years of talking about this, and there's been nothing that's changed.' However it has since emerged that the business student lied about his ordeal and that the shooting 'never occurred', per Dallas Township Police Chief Doug Higgins. Polachek's brother Luke is also 'very much alive and well', several Dallas High School alumni confirmed to WNEP. Dallas School District Superintendent Dr. Thomas Duffy, who also refuted Polachek's fabricated tale, told that it is, 'troubling and disappointing that a story like this would be out there, obviously with zero basis'. Polachek's story first surfaced in February at a rally organized by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America in support of Kentucky's gun safety education bill. Police say his remarks were shared on social media and quoted in articles published by local news outlets, as well as global platforms including MSN and Yahoo News. Duffy was made aware of the speech late Tuesday, alleging that it 'blew up pretty quickly' in the 'small, tight-knit' Dallas community. 'It wasn't well received by the school district or community,' he told Daily Mail, explaining that locals immediately, 'knew this is not true'. 'The community was outraged. It didn't surprise me, but it was affirming to see how quickly our school district community - including families teachers, administration and our alumni, who are all over the world - really rose to the occasion to defend the school district and underscore their disappointment that this story would be out there and was not aligned with reality,' Duffy said. Police Chief Higgins was also quick to dispel Polachek's lies, saying in a press release Wednesday: 'Let us be absolutely clear: this event never occurred. 'There has never been a school shooting at Dallas High School. Not in 2017, and not at any point in our community's history.' The police chief branded the 'widespread sharing of a fabricated tragedy' as both 'reckless' and 'harmful', alleging that it 'fuels unnecessary fear' and 'disrespects the experiences of real victims of school violence'. Higgins further said that Polachek's lies are 'deeply troubling' and have caused, 'real harm' to the community. He accused Polachek of undermining the school district's integrity and eroding public trust, adding: 'The people of Dallas Township deserve honesty.' 'We support the mission of those working to make schools safer. That work is vital. But effective advocacy must be built on truth,' Higgins continued. 'Falsely referencing a tragedy that never happened disrespects the memory of actual victims and distracts from meaningful progress.' Polachek is a recent Dallas High School graduate and currently attends the University of Louisville. He was involved in student government and played baseball throughout his high school career. Little is known about his brother's whereabouts, but several classmates confirmed to local media that he is alive, with one even alleging that she received a Facebook friend request from Luke 'less than a year ago'. reached out to both Calvin and Luke Polachek for comment, but neither replied. Sarah Cominsky, a member of Polachek's graduating class, said she is 'embarrassed' to have been his classmate. She slammed Polachek for having the audacity to say something 'so wildly untrue', especially at an event 'where moms of victims' and 'student victims are speaking out'. Courtney Moss, a Dallas High School alum who served on the student council with Polachek, added: 'Why would you lie about something this tragic when there are people that go through this every single day and have to relive this worst thing in their life, every single day?' Superintendent Duffy said the school district was immediately focused on making sure the community, 'knew we were aware that this story was out there and that people knew this was not true'. Although local residents were aware a shooting never occurred, district leadership wanted to make sure that families who were new to the area were aware Polachek has peddled false information. He says the district is continuing its conversation with the community and looking at what next steps may entail. 'Most important, is just affirming this didn't happen,' Duffy added. He also applauded the, 'very supportive school district community and alumni base for very quickly communicating their outrage'. Moms Demand Action, which hosted the February rally, said in a statement to that Polachek is 'not an active volunteer' with the organization. 'We are deeply disappointed that someone would exploit the tragic, lived experience of many to use our platform to share a story that was not true,' a spokesperson said. 'Calvin reached out to our Kentucky chapter, shamefully lied to our volunteers, and shared a tragic story that we later learned was not true. 'This is an affront to the countless survivors of gun violence who show extraordinary courage every day by reliving their darkest moments in service of the fight to end our country's gun violence crisis.' The spokesperson added that Moms Demand Action is 'revisiting our guidance to our grassroots networks in an effort to ensure this never happens again'.
Independent Singapore
28-05-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
‘My ex-boss is spreading lies about me' — Woman says her former boss is falsely claiming she ‘mismanaged' the company, so he fired her, despite a peaceful resignation
SINGAPORE: A woman shared on social media that her former boss has been spreading false claims about her after she resigned from a company she believed she had left on good terms. In a detailed post on the r/askSingapore subreddit, the woman explained that she left her job at the end of 2024 after serving the standard one-month notice period. At the time of her departure, there were no signs of conflict or tension, and she assumed everything had ended amicably. However, weeks after her departure, troubling rumours began to reach her through former colleagues and people in her professional network. To her surprise, she discovered that one of her ex-bosses had allegedly been telling others that she had 'mismanaged' the company, that he could 'sue her' for alleged misconduct, and that she had been 'fired.' Shocked by the allegations, she clarified in her post that none of those claims were true. 'I resigned and served my notice. I got to know him because a friend I made while working there was shocked when I told him that I had to serve one month's notice. My boss had told my friend that I was fired, which, by right, didn't require any notice period.' She went on to describe her former boss as notorious for being toxic, alleging that he lacked management skills, had a 'horrible' temper, and was known for 'badmouthing' people he didn't like. While she admitted the false narratives 'annoyed' her, especially when former colleagues brought them up during casual conversations, she said she had since 'moved on' with her life and didn't feel the need to confront the issue directly. Still, the experience left her unsettled, prompting her to ask the online community for advice. 'I just wanted to know your opinion. What would you do?' she wrote. 'Best to just ignore it totally and move on…' Many Redditors weighed in with their thoughts, noting that situations like this are quite common, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Some pointed out that former employees are often blamed for problems once they're no longer around to defend themselves. Others, meanwhile, encouraged her to take the high road and focus on moving forward. One Redditor said, 'Best to just ignore it totally and move on. This is not uncommon, and please do not take it personally. No fault of yours. By ignoring, you're being the bigger person. Unless it's defamatory, you can always seek legal advice if there is evidence.' Another commented, 'Don't have to do anything. Your worth will be proven by your own merits out there, especially in a smaller industry.' A third wrote, 'You can't defend yourself when you're not there, and it's very convenient to make a person who left the company the sink of all problems. The most you can do is to clarify with those you want to remain connected to, whose opinions you care about. Of course, with receipts to back it up.' Dealing with defamation For others who may find themselves in similar situations, it is worth knowing that legal action is an option. According to The Singapore Lawyer website, individuals who intentionally spread defamatory content can be taken to civil court. If proven, they may face penalties ranging from a fine to a prison term of up to 24 months. Read also: 'Should I ask for an increment after probation?' — Fresh hire wonders if he should ask for a salary raise after his boss increased his workload
Free Malaysia Today
27-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Former company owner, ex-CFO nabbed over RM8.1mil in false claims
An MACC source said the suspects were believed to have falsified claims in relation to the rental of waste disposal machinery and facilities. PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested the former owner and the ex-chief financial officer of a company for allegedly making RM8.1 million in false claims. An MACC source said the suspects, in their forties, were believed to have falsified claims in relation to the rental of waste disposal machinery and facilities. The source said the suspects were believed to be involved in corruption and money laundering in providing the services from 2019 to 2021. The MACC is probing claims the duo had made from January 2022 to October 2022, as well as alleged receipt of bribes. The source added that the anti-graft agency raided 11 premises in the Klang Valley and Negeri Sembilan under Op Flora, and froze 76 bank accounts with deposits totalling RM1.68 million. 'The two male suspects were arrested around 6.30pm yesterday when they were at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya to give their statements,' the source said. The pair is under remand until tomorrow. MACC senior director of special operations Zamri Zainul Abidin confirmed the arrests.
