Elections technology company Smartmatic claims that MyPIllow CEO Mike Lindell spread baseless conspiracy theories about its alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election.
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is facing another defamation lawsuit, claiming the prominent Trump supporter spread lies about the 2020 presidential election.
According to The Guardian, the lawsuit was filed in federal court earlier this week.
In their complaint, Smartmatic USA Corp. recounts how Lindell repeatedly claimed that Smartmatic—an election technology company—“stole” the 2020 election from former U.S. President Donald Trump.
However, Smartmatic says that Lindell may not have believed his own lies: their filing instead suggests that the MyPillow executive was pandering to Trump supporters to increase sales.
Smartmatic spared little criticism in its complaint, with the opening sentence describing the CEO as, “Crazy like a fox.”
“Mike Lindell knows exactly what he is doing, and it’s dangerous […] Mr. Lindell knows that he can sell xenophobia. He knows he can sell conspiracy [theories],” Smartmatic wrote. “And of course, Mr. Lindell – ‘the MyPillow Guy’ – knows he needs to sell pillows to keep and increase his fortune.”
“Mr. Lindell,” Smartmatic wrote, “saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity following the 2020 U.S. election.”
Lindell, notes The Guardian, is already facing another $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, another elections technology company.
Lindell, along with other influential Trump supporters, peddled conspiracy theories alleging that Smartmatic, Dominion, and Democratic vote-counters collaborated to “steal” votes from former President Donald Trump while falsely allocating others to current President Joe Biden.
Conspiracy theorists claimed, in part, that companies like Dominion and Smartmatic had invented fraudulent vote-counting software for the late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.
“Lindell intentionally stoked the fires of xenophobia and party-divide for the noble purpose of selling his pillows,” they added.
“The narrative served his personal and financial interests as he and MyPillow benefited from the publicity while creating a perception that the 2020 U.S. election was rigged and stolen by Smartmatic,” the lawsuit said. “Mr. Lindell gave election related MyPillow promo codes, such as ‘FightforTrump’ and ‘Proof,’ to viewers and listeners during the same program segments where he defamed Smartmatic.”
However, Lindell has maintained his position, saying he is “excited” to address Smartmatic’s claims in court.
“They’re guilty. They’ve attacked us and were part of the biggest crime in history against our country. And they’re gong to all go to prison,” Lindell told Business Insider, pointing out that he has spent $30 million of his own money advancing election conspiracy theories.
The Guardian reports that Lindell, despite facing multiple lawsuits, is still actively promoting disproven claims about the 2020 election and its outcome.
Most recently, Lindell said he had “enough evidence to put everybody in prison for life, 300 and some million people”—or, in other words, the entire adult population of the United States along with at least 40 million minors.
Sources
MyPillow CEO faces defamation lawsuit from second voting machine maker
Second voting technology company sues MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for defamation
Join the conversation!