Federal jury finds MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell defamed Dominion Voting Systems employee

Jury awards $2.3 million to former Dominion Voting Systems employee

A federal jury in Colorado on Monday, June 16, determined that MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell defamed Eric Coomer, a former director at Dominion Voting Systems, following the 2020 presidential election. The jury found two of Lindell’s statements, including calling Coomer a traitor, to be defamatory and awarded $2.3 million in damages.

Coomer, who served as Dominion’s director of security and product strategy, initially sought $62.7 million in damages, stating the lawsuit aimed to send a broader message discouraging public attacks on election workers. Lindell and his media platform, Frankspeech, were held jointly responsible for the defamatory remarks.

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Coomer’s legal team argued that Lindell either knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Lindell denied wrongdoing, stating, “I will not stop talking until we don’t have voting machines in this country.” He plans to appeal the decision and continues to assert the 2020 election was compromised.

Lindell maintains election fraud claims despite verdict

During the two-week trial, Lindell stood by his claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen but did not present expert testimony to support those assertions. His lawyers contended that Coomer’s reputation had already been damaged due to prior media coverage and his own social media activity.

Coomer testified that the conspiracy theories linking him to election fraud destroyed his career and personal life. “This is hurting democracy. This is misinformation. It’s not been vetted and it needs to stop,” Coomer’s attorney Charles Cain said during closing arguments. Cain also noted that while the damages awarded were less than sought, they still represented accountability.

The jury ruled that Frankspeech was not liable for eight additional statements made by others, limiting the scope of the platform’s responsibility. Lindell said his motive in going to trial was to draw attention to his belief that electronic voting machines should be eliminated in favor of paper ballots.

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Dominion Voting Systems remains at center of defamation cases
Dominion Voting Systems has been a focal point in post-election conspiracy theories. The company previously reached a $787 million settlement with Fox News over false claims aired on the network. Dominion also has a pending defamation lawsuit against Newsmax, which publicly apologized to Coomer in 2021.

Lindell’s statements came later than others who had circulated Coomer’s name, beginning in February 2021. One specific remark on May 9, 2021, in which Lindell described Coomer’s alleged actions as “treason,” was among those the jury deemed defamatory.

Coomer acknowledged that some of his past social media posts criticizing President Donald Trump were “hyperbolic” and regrettable. However, his legal team argued that Lindell’s accusations went beyond opinion and crossed into defamation by alleging a serious crime.

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Lindell testified that he did not knowingly make false statements about Coomer and defended his right to speak publicly on election-related matters. His attorneys claimed the statements were protected under the First Amendment due to their connection with public concerns about election security.