Federal Judge Exposes Mike Lindell's Baseless Smears Against Smartmatic in Election Disinformation Case

A federal judge in Minnesota has delivered a decisive blow against right-wing disinformation, ruling that MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell defamed election technology company Smartmatic by propagating baseless lies about its supposed involvement in rigging the 2020 presidential election. The ruling, issued on Friday, found that Lindell's reckless claims were completely unsubstantiated and caused significant harm to Smartmatic's reputation, underscoring the destructive impact of conspiracy theories promoted by far-right figures.

Judge Jeffrey Bryan made it clear that Lindell's assertions about Smartmatic's role in the election were outright false and that no reasonable person could believe them. However, the judge deferred a final decision on whether Lindell acted with 'actual malice,' a legal standard required for Smartmatic to recover damages. Bryan noted that there are 'genuine fact disputes' regarding whether Lindell knowingly spread these falsehoods.

The statements at issue involved Lindell's wild allegations that Smartmatic's voting machines were used to manipulate votes in favor of President Joe Biden in Los Angeles County, California. In reality, Smartmatic's technology was only used in Los Angeles County during the 2020 election, and there is absolutely no evidence to support any claims of vote manipulation—yet another example of right-wing attempts to undermine democracy with misinformation.

Smartmatic's attorney, Erik Connolly, indicated that the company would seek significant damages from Lindell and MyPillow for their role in spreading these harmful lies. 'Smartmatic did not and could not have rigged the 2020 election,' Connolly stated. 'It was impossible, and everything that Mr. Lindell said about Smartmatic was false.'

In response to the ruling, Lindell doubled down on his baseless accusations against Smartmatic and continued to push his anti-democratic campaign to eliminate electronic voting machines in favor of paper ballots, threatening to escalate his crusade to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This ruling is part of a broader reckoning for Lindell and MyPillow, who have faced a series of legal challenges for their role in spreading false claims about the 2020 election. Smartmatic has already reached settlements with other media outlets and remains committed to holding accountable those who propagate dangerous right-wing misinformation about the company's role in the election.