Jury rules that MyPillow CEO slandered an ex-worker from a voting equipment company
Lights, Camera, Defamation:
In the land of the Centennial State, a hot mess of conspiracy theories, election fraud claims, and a billion-dollar lawsuit unfolds. The jury's verdict? The popular CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, is in deep water. He's been slapped with a hefty bill of $2.3 million for defaming a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, Eric Coomer. Lindell personally owes $440,500, while his online platform, FrankSpeech, is on the hook for an additional $1.9 million[1][2][3].
Coomer sued Lindell following the 2020 presidential election, after being caught up in a whirlwind of conspiracy theories. Lindell's inflammatory statements depicted Coomer as a traitor and an election crook[2][3]. Coomer argued that these statements wrecked his career and life.
Meanwhile, Dominion Voting Systems has another battle on its hands against Lindell, who filed a $1.3 billion lawsuit against the company in 2021[3]. On the flip side, Dominion has already secured a massive $787 million settlement against Fox News for broadcasting false claims about the company[2].
During the trial, Lindell stood firm on his belief that the 2020 election was rigged, but he failed to provide solid evidence to back up his claims[3]. His beliefs were allegedly fueled by watching the HBO documentary "Kill Chain" and the views of Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser[3]. Lindell also has some explaining to do about his ties to a Colorado podcaster, who claimed to have heard a conference call from the anti-fascist group Antifa before the 2020 election[3].
Coomer's legal team painted a grim picture of the havoc the conspiracy theories brought upon their client's life. Lindell entered the scene relatively late, only publicly bashing Coomer in February 2021[3]. Coomer claimed the conspiracy theories led to his job loss, mental health struggles, and the collapse of his carefully constructed life[2].
Coomer was particularly disturbed by a statement Lindell made on May 9, 2021, claiming that Coomer had committed "treason." But Lindell's lawyers countered that Coomer's reputation was already in tatters before Lindell spoke up[2]. They added that Coomer's own Facebook posts disparaging Trump were likely a contributing factor[2].
Internet### Internet Scandals: How Conspiracy Theories Plague Social Media Timelines
Elections### Elections Fallout: Lingering Impact of the 2020 Election Conspiracies on the Political Landscape
[1] https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/jury-orders-mike-lindell-pay-23-million-to-voting-machine-ex-employee-2022-05-09/[2] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/09/mike-lindell-defamed-dominion-voting-systems-employee-ex-jury-finds.html[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/05/09/mike-lindell-loses-defamation-suit-dominion-employee/
- The ruling against Mike Lindell for defaming Eric Coomer, a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, has stirred discussions about the influence of conspiracy theories in politics and economy, highlighting the need for accountability in general-news and crime-and-justice domains.
- The internet, often a breeding ground for conspiracy theories, has been a platform for the spread of false statements in the Centennial State’s political landscape, further exasperating the general-news and crime-and-justice issues arising from the 2020 election controversies.
