The Volokh Conspiracy

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Defamation

Dominion Makes Good on Threat to File Defamation Suit Against Mike Lindell

The election systems company is taking its fight to the conspiratorial My Pillow CEO.

|The Volokh Conspiracy |


As threatened, U.S. Dominion Inc., the parent company of Dominion Voting Systems, filed a $1 billion-plus defamation suit against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell in federal court in the District of Columbia. This follows on prior suits filed against Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell.

The complaint, which admittedly presents Dominion's case in the strongest light possible, is quite powerful. Strategically, the complaint focuses on comments made by Lindell after Attorney General William Barr dismissed claims of widespread election fraud. This will make it more difficult for Lindell to claim that he had no reason to know that some of his conspiratorial claims about Dominion were false.

Dominion's attorneys had sent a cease-and-desist and record preservation letter to My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell last month, demanding that he stop repeating false and unfounded allegations against Dominion and retain communications with others about such claims, but the warning went unheeded. As I noted here, Lindell was uncowed by the threatened suit.  At the time he said he hoped Dominion would sue so that he could have the opportunity to substantiate his claims. Earlier this month, Lindell purchased time on One America News to air his "Absolute Proof," a falsehood-riddled "documentary" purporting to show evidence of widespread voter fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election.

Lindell is still not backing down. Reached today by NBC News, Lindell maintained that position, saying "I am so happy today that they finally sued me. . . . It gives me a voice, because none of you guys talk to me." We'll see whether he feels the same way once he's had the chance to speak with his lawyers.