The Defamation Trial: Mike Lindell vs. Eric Coomer and Dominion Voting Systems
A trial in federal court in Denver is underway to determine if MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell defamed Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems official, by accusing him of treason during Lindell's efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. Coomer, who filed the lawsuit in April 2022, is seeking damages for the distress caused by Lindell's false claims. Dominion has also faced legal battles over election fraud allegations and settled a lawsuit with Fox News for nearly $800 million.
Lindell's attorneys argued that he genuinely believed the claims he made against Coomer and was provoked by Coomer's actions. They claimed that Coomer baited Lindell into defaming him by serving him with a lawsuit publicly before Lindell spoke at a rally. Despite making additional comments about Coomer, Lindell's legal team asserted that he was triggered by Coomer's actions and believed he was telling the truth about the election.
The trial is expected to last through the end of the week, with Coomer denying that his lawsuit is a shakedown of Lindell. Lindell, who is set to testify in his defense, founded MyPillow in 2009 and is also a defendant in the case, along with his media company, FrankSpeech. Joe Oltmann, who identified Coomer as the "Dominion guy," is not a defendant but is expected to testify in the trial.