MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed the election technology company Smartmatic with false statements that its voting machines helped rig the 2020 presidential election, a federal judge in Minnesota ruled Friday.
But U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan deferred until future proceedings the question of whether Lindell — one of the country’s most prominent propagators of false claims that the 2020 election was a fraud — acted with the “actual malice” that Smartmatic still needs to prove to collect any damages.
The judge said there are “genuine fact disputes” as to whether Lindell's statements were made “with knowledge that they were false or made with reckless disregard to their falsity.” He noted that the defense says Lindell has an “unwavering belief” that his statements were truthful.
The statements cited by the judge arose from Lindell's criticism of the results of the 2020 election in California's Los Angeles County, which Democratic candidate Joe Biden carried with 71 percent of the vote over President Donald Trump and helped Biden secure the state's 55 electoral votes.
The county used Smartmatic's computerized touchscreen ballot-marking devices and was the company's only customer for the 2020 election. Lindell alleged the machines were rigged to change Trump votes to Biden votes.
The judge ruled there were 51 specific times when Lindell falsely claimed — in documentaries he produced and through various media and personal appearances — that Smartmatic interfered with...
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