MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has been complaining for over two years that his efforts to help overturn the results of the 2020 election have cost him a significant share of his once-thriving business, and a ruling Monday could wind up costing him even more money if he’s found guilty.
Politico reports that Lindell was a handed a major loss from a judge in Minnesota:
A Minnesota District Court judge on Monday denied MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s motion to throw out a lawsuit brought by a voting technology company that claims he defamed it by pushing the false narrative that the 2020 election was stolen.
Smartmatic, a company that provided election technology and services to Los Angeles in the 2020 election, alleges in the complaint that both Lindell and MyPillow defamed the voting tech company by falsely promoting the theory that its machines had been hacked or rigged in favor of President Joe Biden. Lindell is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and has falsely maintained since 2020 that Trump won the election over Biden.
The legal reasoning used by Lindell and his attorneys was flimsy at best and included these specious arguments
- Smartmatic failed to adequately plea the defamation claim.
- The deceptive trade practices was unfair because Lindell was acting in a personal, not professional, capacity.
- Lindell’s comments are protected by the First Amendment.
U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright ruled that Smartmatic has indeed alleged facts sufficient to its claim of defamation and that Lindell acted with actual malice when he made them.
Lindell has also been trying to separate the case against him from his company, which could be bankrupted by a large financial judgement, but Judge Wright also rejected that claim:
The court concluded that MyPillow can be vicariously liable for Lindell’s actions, since the CEO intentionally promoted MyPillow while allegedly defaming Smartmatic in the media and during public appearances. The court also maintained that Smartmatic can pursue its claim that Lindell violated the Minnesota Deceptive Trade Practice law, since the company has alleged sufficient evidence to its claim that Lindell’s statements were made in part to promote MyPillow.
Maybe Lindell can get Trump to give him some money to prop up his failing pillow venture, but that seems unlikely since there are reports that the ex-president is also teetering on financial collapse.
