Fact Check: "Coomer claims Lindell's statements destroyed his career and life."
What We Know
Eric Coomer, a former employee of Dominion Voting Systems, has publicly stated that the defamatory remarks made by MyPillow founder Mike Lindell have significantly harmed his career and personal life. A federal jury in Denver recently awarded Coomer $2.3 million in damages after finding that Lindell had defamed him during a series of public statements regarding the 2020 presidential election. Lindell accused Coomer of being involved in a conspiracy to rig the election against Donald Trump, labeling him a "traitor to the United States" and suggesting he should turn himself in to authorities (The New York Times, Reuters). Coomer's lawsuit claimed that these unfounded allegations led to "frequent credible death threats" and effectively ended his career in the election industry (CBS News).
Coomer, who previously held a respected position in the election technology field, testified that Lindell's statements turned him into "the face of an imagined criminal conspiracy" and resulted in a devastating impact on his life (The New York Times, CPR). His legal team argued that Lindell either knew his statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth (WESH).
Analysis
The evidence presented in the trial supports Coomer's claim that Lindell's statements have had a catastrophic effect on his life and career. The jury's decision to award Coomer $2.3 million indicates a legal acknowledgment of the harm caused by Lindell's defamatory remarks. Coomer's testimony, corroborated by his lawyers, highlights the severe repercussions he faced, including threats to his safety and the loss of his professional reputation (CBS News, Reuters).
Lindell's defense during the trial included claims that he did not knowingly make false statements about Coomer, yet the jury found otherwise. This suggests that the court deemed Lindell's assertions as not only unfounded but also damaging to Coomer's life (CPR, CBS News). The credibility of the sources reporting on this case, including major news outlets like The New York Times and Reuters, adds weight to the findings of the jury and the claims made by Coomer.
Furthermore, the context of Lindell's broader pattern of promoting falsehoods about the 2020 election, which has led to multiple defamation lawsuits against him and other media entities, reinforces the notion that his statements about Coomer were part of a larger campaign of misinformation (The New York Times, Reuters).
Conclusion
The claim that "Coomer claims Lindell's statements destroyed his career and life" is True. The evidence from the recent jury verdict, Coomer's testimony, and the context surrounding Lindell's public statements all support the assertion that Lindell's defamatory remarks had a profound and damaging impact on Coomer's personal and professional life.
Sources
- MyPillow Founder Mike Lindell Defamed Former ... - The New York Times
- My Pillow founder defamed employee of voting machine ... - Reuters
- On the stand for his defamation trial, Mike Lindell sticks by false ... - CPR
- Jury finds MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed a former Dominion ... - CBS News
- Jury finds MyPillow founder defamed former employee for a leading ... - KSTP
- MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed former employee ... - WESH