A federal jury in Colorado found that Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow and a prominent election conspiracy theorist, defamed Eric Coomer, a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, after the 2020 presidential election and ordered him to pay $2.3 million in damages, according to Reuters. Coomer had initially sought $62.7 million in damages, but the jury awarded a lower amount.
The verdict stems from a lawsuit filed by Coomer, who claimed that Lindell’s false statements ruined his ability to work in the elections industry and destroyed his career and life. Lindell had called Coomer a “traitor” and accused him of “treason” in statements made in May 2021, as reported by CBS News.
Coomer’s lawsuit alleged that Lindell’s false statements subjected him to frequent death threats, and his lawyers argued that their client’s life was devastated by the conspiracy theories spreading about him. Coomer was the security and product strategy director at Dominion Voting Systems, a Denver-based company whose voting machines became the target of conspiracy theories among allies of former President Donald Trump.
Following the verdict, Lindell expressed his intention to appeal the judgment, claiming that Coomer’s lawyers did not prove that Coomer had been harmed. “This is a huge victory for our country,” said Lindell, according to Reuters. He also noted that the jury’s finding that MyPillow, his company, was not liable was a positive outcome.
Lindell, a steadfast supporter of Trump, was among many of his allies who advanced unfounded claims of fraud in the 2020 election. Reviews, recounts, and audits in battleground states affirmed Biden’s victory, and Trump’s attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud.
During the trial, Lindell stood by his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen but did not call any experts to present evidence of his claims, as reported by ABC News. He stated that his beliefs were influenced by watching the 2020 HBO documentary “Kill Chain” and by the views of Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Lindell said he had no reason to doubt Flynn’s claims since Flynn had worked for both political parties in intelligence.
Coomer’s lawyers argued that Lindell either knew the statements were lies or conveyed them recklessly without knowing if they were true. They contended that Lindell’s statements crossed the line into defamation and that he targeted Coomer in particular. “This is hurting democracy. This is misinformation. It’s not been vetted and it needs to stop,” said Charles Cain, one of Coomer’s attorneys, according to ABC News.
Coomer testified that the conspiracy theories cost him his job, his mental health, and the life he’d built. He said that Lindell’s statements were the most distressing of all. Despite the jury awarding less than the amount sought, Cain said his client was “thrilled” with the verdict, as reported by The Daily Beast. He added that the verdict serves as a deterrence for individuals working on elections from being targeted.
Lindell’s online media platform, formerly known as FrankSpeech, broadcast claims about Coomer that his lawyers argued were defamatory. Lindell’s attorneys denied liability for statements made by others, as reported by CBS News. The jury found that eight other statements made by Lindell and others appearing on his platform were not defamatory.
Lindell maintained that he would continue to speak out about election security, including criticizing the makers of election equipment like Dominion. He said the lawsuit was meant to suppress his voice and that he would not stop fighting the use of electronic voting machines in U.S. elections.
Dominion Voting Systems has filed separate defamation lawsuits against several Trump allies, including Lindell. The company’s lawsuit against him is proceeding in a Washington D.C. federal court. Dominion has won large settlements after suing Trump allies for defamation, including a $787 million settlement in a lawsuit against Fox News over the network’s airing of false claims against the company.
Lindell stated that he used to be worth about $60 million before he started speaking out about the 2020 election and is now $10 million in debt, according to The Daily Beast. He also said his financial troubles were partly due to right-wing cable network Newsmax’s 2021 settlement with Coomer. Lindell told Rolling Stone, “The settlement has cost MyPillow in sales over $20 million because Newsmax will never have me on to talk about MyPillow products anymore!”
Coomer denied that there was any agreement to block Lindell under his settlement with Newsmax. In 2021, Newsmax apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him.
Coomer acknowledged that his Facebook posts disparaging Trump were “hyperbolic” and had been a mistake, as reported by CBS News. Lindell’s attorneys argued that Coomer’s reputation was already damaged before Lindell mentioned him, partly due to Coomer’s own social media posts.
Earlier this year, Lindell announced that two law firms defending him in his lawsuits with Dominion and Smartmatic had quit because he couldn’t pay them.
In February, a federal judge upheld an arbitration panel’s determination that Lindell had to pay $5 million to a man who successfully disproved his claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, as reported by The Daily Beast.
Coomer’s attorneys argued that Lindell’s false statements caused harm, subjecting him to threats and damaging his reputation. They said that Lindell’s claims were made recklessly and without regard for the truth.
The jury found that two of Lindell’s statements about Coomer, including calling him a traitor and accusing him of stealing the election, were defamatory, as reported by CBS News. However, they found that eight other statements made by Lindell and others appearing on his online media platform were not defamatory.
Lindell’s attorneys argued that the statements were about a matter of public concern—elections—and therefore protected by the First Amendment. They contended that Coomer’s reputation was already in tatters by the time Lindell mentioned him.
Coomer said he hopes the verdict will send a message discouraging attacks on election workers. “Individuals who are singled out can get vindication in the courthouse,” said Cain, according to The Daily Beast.
