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MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell defamed Dominion employee, jury says
1 of 4 | MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell (pictured in February at the White House) defamed a former employee of Dominion Voting System, a federal jury found on Monday. File Photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo
June 17 (UPI) -- MyPillow CEO and conservative political activist Mike Lindell defamed a former employee of Denver's Dominion Voting Systems, a federal jury found on Monday.
After a two-week trial, a federal jury is requiring Lindell to pay Eric Coomer roughly $2.3 million, according to David Beller, one of Coomer's lawyers.
Coomer's attorney Charles Caine said, "We're thrilled with the verdict."
During Coomer's time as a former director of product strategy and security at Dominion, a manufacturer of voting machines, Lindell claimed -- without any evidence -- that Coomer had flipped votes to prevent President Trump from winning re-election.
The jury found three statements that met requirements of defamation. Two were made by Lindell and one was made by someone else at a FrankSpeech event. That broadcast platform is now known as LindellTV.
"I mean, you are disgusting, and you are treasonous. You are a traitor to the United States of America," said Lindell, according to court filings.
"Eric Coomer, you are a criminal. Eric Coomer, your lawyers better look out. I'm not putting up with this," the far-right Trump supporter said in an interview. "You've been a part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen."
Coomer then sued Lindell, saying the harassment from him and others put an end to his 15-year career in the industry. And Coomer said Lindell's harassment led to "death threats," as well.
"Mike Lindell not only hurt Eric Coomer with his baseless lies -- he hurt the American people and the democratic process," Beller said in a statement. "Dr. Coomer is now one step closer to putting his life back together."
After the verdict, Lindell stressed that his company is not liable for defamation. He said in the jury's finding that he will continue to claim that voting machine companies steal elections.
"It's a huge breakthrough about free speech, our First Amendment rights," he said.
