The Pillow Guy's Big Lie

A court in Colorado has ruled that Mike Lindell, the guy behind MyPillow, spread false information about a former worker from a big voting machine company. This happened after the 2020 presidential election. The worker, Eric Coomer, was awarded $2. 3 million because of the harm caused by Lindell's lies. Lindell had accused Coomer of being a traitor and stealing the election. These accusations were broadcasted on Lindell's online media platform. Coomer used to work at Dominion Voting Systems, a company that makes voting machines. After the 2020 election, Dominion became a target for conspiracy theories. Some people, including former President Donald Trump, falsely claimed that the election was stolen due to widespread fraud. Dominion has already won a big settlement against Fox News for spreading false claims. They also have another lawsuit against the conservative network Newsmax. In 2021, Newsmax apologized to Coomer for airing false allegations against him. Coomer's lawyer said that the jury saw through Lindell's lies. Lindell's actions not only hurt Coomer but also damaged the democratic process in the United States. Coomer is now one step closer to rebuilding his life after the trial. Lindell, however, plans to appeal the verdict. During the trial, Coomer testified that his career and life were destroyed by Lindell's statements. His lawyers argued that Lindell either knew the statements were false or spread them without caring if they were true. Lindell's lawyers denied the claims, saying that his online platform is not responsible for statements made by others. Lindell went to trial to highlight his belief in the need to get rid of electronic voting machines. He claims that his financial situation has suffered because of his involvement in the 2020 election controversies. Reviews, recounts, and audits in key states have all confirmed that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Trump's own attorney general at the time said there was no evidence of widespread fraud. Trump and his allies lost dozens of court cases trying to overturn the election results. Lindell's beliefs about the 2020 election were influenced by a documentary and the views of Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. During the trial, Lindell distanced himself from a story involving a Colorado podcaster who claimed to have heard a conference call from the anti-fascist group Antifa. The podcast claimed that someone named Eric from Dominion said he would ensure that Trump would not win. Lindell said he only learned about this during the trial. Coomer's lawyers tried to show how his life was devastated by the conspiracy theories spreading about him. Lindell was late to join in on the accusations against Coomer, not mentioning him until February 2021. Coomer said the conspiracy theories cost him his job, his mental health, and the life he had built. He specifically pointed to a statement made by Lindell in May 2021, where Lindell described Coomer's actions as "treason. " Lindell's attorneys argued that Coomer's reputation was already damaged by the time Lindell mentioned him. They said this was partly because of Coomer's own Facebook posts criticizing Trump, which Coomer acknowledged were a mistake. Lindell denied making any false statements about Coomer and testified that he has called many people traitors. His lawyers argued that the statements were about a matter of public concern—elections—and therefore protected by the First Amendment. But Coomer's lawyers said the statements crossed the line into defamation because Lindell accused Coomer of treason, a crime.