A Minnesota federal judge has found Mike Lindell defamed a voting machine company with his attacks on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, and a jury now must decide whether to award the $1.5 billion in damages Smartmatic is seeking.
Smartmatic sued the outspoken founder of Minnesota-based MyPillow in 2022 amid Lindell’s repeated assertion that the company’s machines helped “steal” the election for Democrat Joe Biden.
Lindell is moving closer to a run for Minnesota governor, saying he has re-established residency in the state after recently living in Texas.
“The court presumes that Smartmatic is entitled to damages for the reputational harm it has suffered,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan said in Friday’s ruling granting summary judgment to the company.
“There is no genuine dispute as to whether these statements are defamatory per se. No reasonable juror could conclude that any of the statements [were] true.”
Bryan also kept financially embattled MyPillow on the hook for aiding “Lindell’s tortious conduct.”
Erik Connolly, lead attorney for Smartmatic, said in a statement that the company is “pleased with the court’s decision to hold Mike Lindell and MyPillow responsible for spreading lies about Smartmatic.”
“With this victory in hand, we are eager to put on the rest of our case so we can recover nine-figure damages from Mr. Lindell and MyPillow,” Connolly said.
