Judge Rules MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Defamed Smartmatic With False Voting Machine Claims

Federal Judge Rules Mike Lindell Defamed Smartmatic with False Election Claims

A federal judge in Minnesota ruled Friday that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed election technology company Smartmatic by making false statements claiming its voting machines helped rig the 2020 presidential election.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan determined that Lindell’s numerous assertions about Smartmatic machines being manipulated to change votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden were demonstrably untrue. The ruling identified 51 specific instances where Lindell made false claims through documentaries he produced and various media appearances.

“The Court concludes that, based on the record presented, no reasonable trier of fact could find that any of the statements at issue are true,” Bryan wrote in his decision.

Despite this ruling, Judge Bryan deferred on whether Lindell acted with “actual malice” – a critical legal threshold Smartmatic must prove to collect damages. The judge noted there are “genuine fact disputes” regarding whether Lindell made his statements “with knowledge that they were false or made with reckless disregard to their falsity.” The defense maintains Lindell has an “unwavering belief” in the truthfulness of his claims.

The case centers on Lindell’s criticism of the 2020 election results in Los Angeles County, California, which Biden carried with 71% of the vote. Los Angeles County was Smartmatic’s only U.S. customer during the 2020 election, using the company’s computerized touchscreen ballot-marking devices. Lindell repeatedly alleged these machines were rigged to switch Trump votes to Biden votes, helping secure California’s 55 electoral votes for the Democratic candidate.

Smartmatic attorney Erik Connolly stated the company will seek “nine-figure damages” from both Lindell and MyPillow for “spreading lies” about the company. “Smartmatic did not and could not have rigged the 2020 election,” Connolly said. “It was impossible, and everything that Mr. Lindell said about Smartmatic was false.”

This ruling continues a series of legal victories for Smartmatic, which previously reached settlements with conservative news outlets Newsmax and One America News Network last year. The Florida-based company still has an active lawsuit against Fox News.

For Lindell, this represents another setback in his campaign against voting machine companies. In June, he lost a separate case involving Dominion Voting Systems when a jury ruled he had defamed a former Dominion employee by accusing him of treason. That verdict resulted in $2.3 million in damages.

When contacted by The Associated Press after the ruling, Lindell called it “the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard” and described Smartmatic as “one of the most corrupt companies in the world.” The pillow magnate vowed to continue his fight to eliminate voting machines in favor of paper ballots, saying he would take his crusade to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

Beyond his legal battles over election claims, Lindell disclosed he has recently reestablished residence in Minnesota, signaling a possible gubernatorial run against Democratic Governor Tim Walz. While MyPillow is headquartered in the Minneapolis suburbs, Lindell had been living in Texas until recently.

Lindell’s business and personal fortunes have faced several setbacks in recent years amid his relentless promotion of election conspiracy theories. However, he did secure a victory in July when a federal appeals court ruled he didn’t have to pay a $5 million arbitration award to a software engineer who disputed data that Lindell claimed proved Chinese interference in the 2020 election. The court determined the arbitration panel had exceeded its authority.

The Minnesota ruling adds to the growing legal consequences faced by prominent figures who spread false claims about the 2020 presidential election, which election officials, courts, and independent experts have repeatedly verified was free from widespread fraud.