MINNEAPOLIS — A voting technology company is suing MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell for defamation over his ongoing claims of election fraud in the last presidential election.
Smartmatic USA Corp. sued this week in federal court against Lindell and his company alleging that he falsely claimed that Smartmatic stole the 2020 election and that he did so in order to sell his products to conspiracy theorists.
Lindell has perpetuated discredited claims that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump and handed to President Joe Biden.
Smartmatic's lawsuit introduction opened with the sentence: "Crazy like a fox." It went on to claim: "Mike Lindell knows exactly what he is doing, and it's dangerous ... Mr. Lindell knows he can sell xenophobia. He knows he can sell conspiracy theory ... And of course, Mr. Lindell — 'the MyPillow Guy' — knows he needs to sell pillows to keep and increase his fortune. Mr. Lindell saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity following the 2020 U.S. election."
Lindell could not immediately be reached for comment Friday through his attorney.
Smartmatic is an election machine and software manufacturer based in Boca Raton, Florida. The company provided election technology to Los Angeles County and no other U.S. counties or states in the 2020 election.
Smartmatic's suit did not request a specific amount in monetary damages. It sought "compensatory damages," "actual, consequential, and special damages" and punitive damages to be determined at trial. The company is also seeking costs associated with its lawsuit.
Last February, another election machine manufacturer, Dominion Voting Systems, filed a $1.3 billion defamation suit in the District of Columbia against Lindell and two others.
Last June, Lindell sued Smartmatic and Dominion in federal court, alleging that they manipulated the election in favor of Biden.
Smartmatic's lawsuit alleged that Lindell's many TV, radio and podcast appearances perpetuated falsehoods and included direct attacks on the company that has "irreparably tarnished the Smartmatic brand."
Lindell claimed that electronic voting technology companies, including Smartmatic, were hacked by China, the suit said.
"The narrative served his personal and financial interests as he and MyPillow benefited from the publicity while creating a perception that the 2020 U.S. election was rigged and stolen by Smartmatic," the lawsuit said. "... Mr. Lindell gave election related MyPillow promo codes, such as 'FightforTrump' and 'Proof,' to viewers and listeners during the same program segments where he defamed Smartmatic."
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