Rachel Leingang, The Guardian; MyPillow’s Mike Lindell ordered to pay $2.3m in voting machine defamation trial
"MyPillow CEO, Mike Lindell, has been ordered to pay $2.3m to a former employee of a voting machine company who sued him for defamation, adding to the legal woes the prominent election denier faces.
A Colorado jury decided the case and amount after Eric Coomer, who formerly worked in security and voting technology strategy for the voting machine company Dominion, filed a lawsuit against Lindell and a host of others who spread false conspiracy theories that upended his life. Coomer’s attorneys had originally requested $62.7m...
Coomer testified that he had gone into hiding and experienced death threats as a result of the persistent lies about him. An expert hired by his side said it would cost about $2.8m for him to repair his reputation, according to Colorado Public Radio.
“Ultimately it’s to try to regain some semblance of my life. I didn’t just lose my livelihood, I lost my life as a direct result of statements by Mr Lindell accusing me of being a traitor,” Coomer said.
Using defamation law to go after people and companies trafficking in election lies have become more common after 2020. Several lawsuits have been settled, including a claim Coomer brought against conservative outlet Newsmax, while juries have awarded damages in others, including a major judgment against Rudy Giuliani."
