A federal jury in Colorado has found MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and his media company FrankSpeech LLC liable for more than $2.3 million in damages in a high-profile defamation trial. The verdict stems from accusations that Lindell amplified false claims that Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems executive, rigged the 2020 U.S. presidential election against Donald Trump.
Eric Coomer, Dominion’s former director of product security and safety, brought the lawsuit against MyPillow Inc., Lindell, and FrankSpeech for spreading defamatory statements made by a podcaster alleging Coomer’s participation in an antifascist conference call where he purportedly admitted to election rigging.
After more than 10 hours of deliberation, the eight-member jury found Lindell liable for two defamatory statements and FrankSpeech liable for three, while MyPillow Inc. was cleared of liability. The jury awarded Coomer a total of over $2.3 million in damages, a fraction of the $60 million sought.
Charles Cain, attorney for Coomer, said, “This verdict shows that individuals targeted with false claims can seek vindication in court and serves as a deterrent against attacks on election workers.”
Following the verdict, Mike Lindell called the outcome a “huge victory for our country,” maintaining that MyPillow was unfairly sued and asserting that “you can’t attack American companies and expect to win.” Lindell indicated plans to appeal the monetary judgment.
The defamatory statements at issue included claims that Dominion attempted to “take our country through China” to “suppress our voice” and accusations that Coomer was a “traitor” and “criminal.” The court also held FrankSpeech liable for a defamatory statement by New Mexico conspiracy theorist David Clements, while statements from other figures were ruled non-defamatory.
