Carone attracted national headlines after claiming she had witnessed large-scale voter fraud in Detroit. Dominion, though, says she had a one-day contract to “clean glass.”
Melissa Carone, a Michigan woman who made national headlines for alleging widespread voter fraud in the Great Lakes State, could be facing a defamation lawsuit.
Carone, notes The Detroit Free Press, was a contractor for Dominion Voting Systems. The company recently sent a slew of cease-and-desist letters to a number of people who have claimed that Dominion machines were rigged in President-elect Joe Biden’s favor.
Carone, says the Free Press, is one of the individuals who Dominion has requested to stop spreading disinformation.
The others include Russel James Ramsland, Jr., “a self-proclaimed cybersecurity analyst” who wound a bizarre string of conspiracy theories about the Michigan elections, and Matthew DePerno, an attorney representing an Antrim County resident who had filed a marijuana-related election lawsuit. Through the man’s lawsuit, DePerno was able to request a review of Dominion devices used to count ballots in Antrim County.
The letters—to Carone, Ramsland, DePerno and others—indicate that litigation will be “imminent” unless each individual refrains from claims of voter fraud or ballot rigging.
In the cease-and-desist demand, attorneys Thomas A. Clare and Megan L. Meier of Clark Locke LLP told Carone she had no rationale for speaking out against Dominion.
“Without a shred of corroborating evidence, you have claimed that you witnessed several different versions of voter fraud—including one story involving a van, to other accusations that votes were counted multiple times,” the attorneys wrote. “You published these statements even though you knew all along that your attacks on Dominion have no basis in reality.”
Carone, adds the Free Press, only contracted with Dominion for a single day in November.
But after the election, Carone began speaking alongside Trump campaign figures—including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani—claiming she had witnessed or otherwise seen evidence that Dominion machines had counted more than 100,000 Detroit-area ballots twice.
Dominion’s letter to Carone observes that her experience with the company was fleeting, and that she had been hired to perform relatively menial duties that would not have afforded her access to the sort of information she claims to possess.
“We write to you now, because you have positioned yourself as a prominent leader of the ongoing misinformation campaign by pretending to have some sort of ‘insider’s knowledge’ regarding Dominion’s business activities when in reality you were hired through a staffing agency for one day to clean glass on machines and complete other menial tasks.”
Carone, though, has since contested Dominion’s characterization of her as an unskilled worker.
“My job description was IT support,” she said. “I don’t what they mean when they say cleaning glass. I never cleaned glass.”
If Dominion is to follow through on its threats of litigation, it is obvious that Carone will wind up on the receiving end of a lawsuit. Speaking to Michigan-based FOX2 Detroit, Carone said she has no plans to comply with the company’s cease-and-desist demands.
“I don’t know who the hell they think they are,” Carone said. “Sorry, excuse my language, but they are not telling me what to do.”
Sources
Dominion tells Mellissa Carone, others to stop spreading election misinformation
Michigan woman who made election fraud allegations could face lawsuit
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