MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired Jan. 19, 2021.
A Minneapolis judge has denied motions filed by My Pillow CEDO Mike Lindell to dismiss a defamation case brought against him by voting machine company Smartmatic.
According to court documents obtained by KARE 11, U.S. District Court Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright denied Lindell's motion to dismiss two claims against him. In her decision, Judge Wright ruled that Smartmatic has alleged sufficient facts to support both a defamation claim and the company's allegation that Lindell knew, or should have known his statements were false and "acted with actual malice in promoting the challenged statements."
Smartimatic alleges in its lawsuit against Lindell, the Minnesota-based CEO of My Pillow, that as far back as 2016 Lindell aligned himself with former president Donald Trump to increase his own fame along with that of his Chaska-based pillow company. Then when Trump lost the 2020 election, the company maintains that Lindell began to publicly promote the idea that the election was stolen due to voting machines being manipulated by three companies in favor of President Joe Biden.
Smartmatic was one of those companies, along with Dominion and ES&S.
The company says employees and officers of their company have been targeted due to Lindell's remarks, and that in the minds of public and governmental officials Smartmatic's name is now linked with "election fraud."
Lindell moved to dismiss Smartmatic’s complaint, arguing the company failed to plead its claims adequately and that the statements made by Lindell were in a personal capacity, not as CEO of a company. He did not dispute that his statements have harmed Smartmatic.
In a separate move MyPillow also asked to dismiss Smartmatic’s complaint, arguing that the company is shielded by the First Amendment.
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