Fact Check: "A federal jury in Colorado found that Mike Lindell defamed Eric Coomer, a former security and product strategy director at Dominion Voting Systems, and ordered Lindell to pay Coomer $2.3 million in damages on June 5, 2025."
What We Know
On June 16, 2025, a federal jury in Colorado found that Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow, defamed Eric Coomer, a former security and product strategy director at Dominion Voting Systems. The jury ordered Lindell to pay Coomer $2.3 million in damages for his defamatory statements, which included calling Coomer a "traitor" and making other damaging claims regarding his involvement in the 2020 presidential election (AP News, Reuters). The jury's decision came after a trial that highlighted the impact of Lindell's statements on Coomer's life and career, which Coomer claimed were destroyed by the false allegations (CBS News, Denver Post).
Analysis
The jury's verdict was based on specific statements made by Lindell that were deemed defamatory. Two of these statements were particularly highlighted during the trial: one where Lindell urged Coomer to turn himself in for alleged election fraud and another where he labeled Coomer as "treasonous" (AP News, Politico). The jury found that while many of Lindell's claims were not actionable, these particular statements crossed the line into defamation.
Coomer's legal team argued that Lindell's statements were not only false but also made with reckless disregard for the truth, a key component in defamation cases. They presented evidence of the real-world consequences of Lindell's claims, including threats to Coomer's safety and significant damage to his professional reputation (Reuters, Denver Post). Lindell's defense, on the other hand, contended that he believed his statements were true and that they were protected under the First Amendment as they pertained to matters of public concern (AP News, CBS News).
The jury's decision to award $2.3 million, significantly lower than the $62.7 million Coomer sought, suggests a nuanced understanding of the case. It indicates that while they found Lindell liable for defamation, they did not agree with all of Coomer's claims regarding the extent of the damages (CNN, ABC News).
The credibility of the sources reporting on this case is generally high, as they include major news organizations like the Associated Press, Reuters, and CBS News, all of which have established reputations for journalistic integrity.
Conclusion
The claim that a federal jury in Colorado found Mike Lindell defamed Eric Coomer and ordered him to pay $2.3 million in damages on June 5, 2025, is True. The evidence presented during the trial, including the jury's findings and the nature of Lindell's statements, supports this conclusion. The jury's decision reflects a legal acknowledgment of the harm caused by Lindell's defamatory remarks, despite the lower-than-expected damages awarded.
Sources
- Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed former employee for ...
- My Pillow founder defamed employee of voting machine ...
- Jury finds MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell defamed former executive at Denver ...
- Jury finds MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell liable for defamation
- Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed a former Dominion ...
- Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed former employee for ...
- Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed former employee for a leading ...
- MyPillow founder Mike Lindell loses defamation case