The legal and financial woes for stalwart Donald Trump ally Mike Lindell continued to worsen on Monday, when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered the MyPillow founder and CEO to cough up more than $50,000 in sanctions over “frivolous” claims he made in connection with his lawsuit against voting software company Smartmatic.
In the case, the underlying lawsuit was filed by Dominion Voting Systems, accusing Lindell and MyPillow of slander over false claims about the 2020 election. Lindell later sued both voting companies for alleged racketeering (RICO) violations, among other claims, and lost. Smartmatic, in turn, moved for sanctions in the form of substantial legal fees.
U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols sided with Smartmatic on the matter in a May 2022 ruling.
“The Court agrees with Smartmatic that Lindell has asserted at least some groundless claims,” Nichols wrote. “In particular, the Court concludes that at the very least Lindell’s claim against Smartmatic under the Support or Advocacy Clause falls on the frivolous side of the line (other claims do too). As a result, the Court orders Lindell and his previous counsel to pay some of the fees and costs Smartmatic has incurred defending itself and moving for sanctions under Rule 11.”
The Support or Advocacy Clause is part of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and prohibits conspiracies aimed and preventing individuals from supporting or advocating for candidates in federal elections.
However, the court in 2022 was not...
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