Mike Lindell Must Pay $2.3M After Jury Finds Defamation \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A Colorado federal jury found that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed former Dominion executive Eric Coomer, ordering him to pay $2.3 million in damages. The jury ruled two of Lindell’s claims—calling Coomer a traitor and alleging wrongdoing—were defamatory. Lindell plans to appeal and says he will continue to advocate for eliminating electronic voting machines.
Quick Looks
- Verdict & Verdicted Damages: Jury ruled Lindell defamed Coomer, awarding $2.3 million instead of the $62.7 million sought.
- Defamatory Statements: Lindell falsely called Coomer a “traitor” and made unverified allegations during livestreams.
- Legal Backdrop: Part of broader litigation from Dominion and others fighting post‑2020 election conspiracy claims.
- Appeal & Ongoing Action: Lindell plans to appeal and maintains he will continue his advocacy against voting machines.
- Jury’s Findings: Eight other statements were dismissed; only two were ruled defamatory.
Deep Look
In a significant legal rebuke to post-2020 election misinformation, a federal jury in Denver, Colorado, ruled that Mike Lindell—CEO of MyPillow and a high-profile promoter of election conspiracy theories—defamed Eric Coomer, a former executive at Dominion Voting Systems. The jury found two of Lindell’s public statements, including calling Coomer a “traitor,” to be defamatory and ordered Lindell and his media outlet, formerly known as Frankspeech, to pay $2.3 million in damages.
This verdict, although far less than the $62.7 million sought by Coomer, is seen as a major symbolic and legal blow to the campaign of falsehoods targeting election officials following President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. Coomer’s legal team emphasized that the lawsuit was not just about financial compensation but about accountability and the broader impact of misinformation on American democracy.
Coomer, who was the director of product strategy and security at Dominion—a voting machine manufacturer falsely accused of rigging the 2020 election—has faced death threats and had to relocate and live in hiding due to threats stemming from these conspiracies. His attorneys argued that Lindell either knew the accusations were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth when spreading them.
During the trial, Coomer testified about the devastating personal and professional toll the conspiracy theories took on his life. He described being targeted online, receiving numerous threats, and ultimately having to leave his job and uproot his life due to safety concerns. According to his legal team, Lindell’s statements, particularly one made on May 9, 2021, in which he described Coomer’s supposed actions as “treason,” were among the most damaging.
The jury found that while Lindell was responsible for two defamatory statements, eight other statements made by him and others on Frankspeech did not meet the legal standard for defamation. Still, the two statements that did result in a judgment were considered serious enough to warrant a substantial penalty.
Lindell has vowed to appeal the decision, stating that his claims were protected by the First Amendment and that Coomer’s attorneys failed to prove he suffered actual harm as a result. He maintains his belief that electronic voting systems are inherently vulnerable and continues to advocate for a transition to hand-counted paper ballots.
Throughout the trial, Lindell stood by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, despite a lack of evidence and the absence of expert witnesses to support his assertions. Lindell testified that his beliefs were influenced by the 2020 HBO documentary Kill Chain and by former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, who alleged that foreign actors were poised to interfere with U.S. elections.
One of the more peculiar aspects of the case involved a conspiracy theory advanced by a Colorado podcaster who claimed to have overheard a conference call by Antifa before the election. According to the podcaster, a person named Eric from Dominion allegedly stated that he would ensure then-President Donald Trump would not win reelection. This account circulated widely among far-right figures and was repeated during a 2021 Frankspeech event. Lindell testified that he only became aware of this claim during the current trial and tried to distance himself from it.
Coomer’s attorneys presented the court with evidence that Lindell was relatively late in mentioning Coomer—first doing so in February 2021—but they argued the damage was nonetheless severe. Coomer’s name had already been smeared across right-wing media channels, but Lindell’s reach and repetition of the claims added fuel to the fire and amplified the harassment.
Defense attorneys countered by arguing that Coomer’s own social media activity—particularly anti-Trump Facebook posts that he admitted were “hyperbolic” and made in poor judgment—had already harmed his reputation. Lindell’s team also emphasized that his comments were focused on matters of public concern and should be considered protected political speech.
Nevertheless, the jury determined that Lindell crossed a legal line by accusing Coomer of a crime—treason—without evidence. Legal analysts note that while public figures like Coomer face higher burdens in defamation cases, calling someone a criminal without proof often meets the threshold for defamation.
This decision follows a growing trend of holding high-profile individuals and media entities accountable for disseminating baseless claims about the 2020 election. Dominion previously reached a record-breaking $787 million settlement with Fox News in April 2023, and other lawsuits remain pending, including one against Newsmax, which has already issued a public apology to Coomer.
For Coomer, the verdict represents a measure of vindication, though he stated he continues to live cautiously due to ongoing threats. For Lindell, it’s another chapter in a long saga of legal and financial troubles stemming from his full-throated embrace of election conspiracies. Lindell claims he has lost tens of millions of dollars since 2020, falling from a personal net worth of $60 million to being approximately $10 million in debt.
As the legal system continues to address the fallout from misinformation campaigns tied to the 2020 election, this case stands out as a firm reminder that public figures cannot recklessly accuse private citizens of criminal behavior without facing serious consequences.
Mike Lindell Must
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