Mike Lindell has not won most of his lawsuits. Since 2020, the MyPillow founder has lost a federal defamation ruling to Smartmatic, a $2.3 million jury verdict to a former Dominion employee, and a challenge to the FBI’s seizure of his phone. He has one clear courtroom victory: an appeals court threw out a $5 million arbitration award against him in the “Prove Mike Wrong” contest, and the Supreme Court declined to revisit it. A separate Dominion Voting Systems suit is still pending, and new creditor claims keep arriving.
Smartmatic Defamation Case
Smartmatic USA sued Lindell in 2022 over his repeated claims that the company rigged the 2020 election in Los Angeles County. On September 26, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan granted Smartmatic partial summary judgment, identifying 51 specific false statements Lindell made across documentaries, media appearances, and live events. The judge wrote that “no reasonable trier of fact could find that any of the statements at issue are true.”1CBS News. MyPillow Founder Mike Lindell Defamed Smartmatic, Federal Judge Rules The court found no evidence Smartmatic’s devices were designed to manipulate ballots, were connected to the internet, or were used to steal the election.
The ruling classified the statements as defamation per se and granted injunctive relief under the Minnesota Deceptive Trade Practices Act.2Bloomberg Law. Smartmatic Advances Defamation Row Against MyPillow Mike Lindell Smartmatic is seeking $1.5 billion in damages, but nothing has been awarded yet.3Star Tribune. Mike Lindell Smartmatic Defamation Ruling Judge Bryan deferred the “actual malice” question — whether Lindell knew his statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth — noting “genuine fact disputes” about his state of mind because he claims he believed what he was saying.4MPR News. Judge Rules MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell Defamed Smartmatic With False Claims on Voting Machines That issue goes to trial, though no date has been set.
Lindell was already losing procedural fights in the same case. In March 2025, Judge Bryan found him and MyPillow in contempt for failing to turn over discovery documents, including website analytics and 2022–2023 financial records, and ordered him to reimburse Smartmatic’s related legal expenses.5Law and Crime. Mike Lindell Found in Contempt for Repeat Discovery Violations in Smartmatic Defamation Case
Coomer Verdict in Denver
Eric Coomer, a former director of product strategy and security at Dominion Voting Systems, sued Lindell over accusations made at Lindell’s 2021 “Cyber Symposium.” A federal jury in Denver returned its verdict on June 16, 2025, finding Lindell liable and awarding Coomer roughly $2.3 million. The jury identified three specific statements that met the standard for defamation but rejected claims that MyPillow and FrankSpeech were independently liable.6CPR News. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Defamation Lawsuit Verdict Coomer testified that the accusations ended his career in election work.7Yahoo News. Mike Lindell Loses Bid to Overturn Verdict
Lindell moved to overturn the verdict. On March 25, 2026, U.S. District Judge Nina Wang denied the motion, ruling that FrankSpeech functioned as Lindell’s “corporate alter ego” and could not claim Section 230 immunity because Lindell and the co-speaker at the symposium acted as agents of the platform. Judge Wang separately denied Coomer’s request to raise damages beyond $2.7 million, finding insufficient evidence of additional harm.8Courthouse News. Judge Denies Motion to Overturn Jury Verdict in 2020 Election Fraud Defamation Case Lindell has said he plans to appeal.
The Coomer litigation also produced sanctions against Lindell’s attorneys, Christopher Kachouroff and Jennifer DeMaster, after Judge Wang found nearly 30 defective legal citations in their filings, including fabricated cases. She fined each attorney $3,000 on July 7, 2025, and later ordered them to show cause again after a subsequent filing contained another misattributed citation.9New York Times. Judge Fines Lawyers MyPillow AI
The One He Won: Zeidman and “Prove Mike Wrong”
Lindell’s clearest legal win came out of a contest he ran himself. In 2021 he offered $5 million to anyone who could disprove data he claimed showed Chinese interference in the 2020 election. Software engineer Robert Zeidman entered, an arbitration panel awarded him the prize, and a federal district judge initially upheld the award.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed on July 23, 2025, and ordered the award vacated. The court held that the arbitration panel had exceeded its authority by rewriting the contest rules — acknowledging the contract was unambiguous and that Minnesota law bars using outside evidence to interpret clear contract terms, then importing a “packet capture” requirement that never appeared in the official rules.10U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Lindell Management LLC v. Zeidman, No. 24-1608 Zeidman asked the Supreme Court to review the case. The Court denied certiorari on January 12, 2026, closing the matter in Lindell’s favor.11Supreme Court of the United States. Zeidman v. Lindell Management LLC, No. 25-504
Dominion Case Still Pending
Dominion Voting Systems’ own defamation suit against Lindell and MyPillow, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in February 2021, has not been decided. Lindell has filed counterclaims alleging abuse of process, defamation, and RICO violations.12CourtListener. US Dominion Inc. v. My Pillow Inc. As of the most recent docket activity in April 2026, the case was still in discovery, with no summary judgment rulings or trial date set.13CourtListener. US Dominion Inc. v. My Pillow Inc. – Docket Page 3
FBI Phone Seizure Challenge
Lindell also lost his challenge to the FBI’s seizure of his cell phone. Agents took the phone under a warrant at a Hardee’s in Mankato, Minnesota, on September 13, 2022, as part of a federal investigation into the publication of forensic images of election software from Mesa County, Colorado.14KSTP. Appeals Court Rules FBI Seizure of Mike Lindell’s Phone Didn’t Violate His Constitutional Rights Lindell had funded the legal defense of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was later convicted in the breach.15Colorado Newsline. FBI Seizes MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s Phone in Connection With Tina Peters Investigation A federal appeals court rejected Lindell’s First and Fourth Amendment claims on September 22, 2023. No criminal charges have been filed against him.
What the Losses Have Cost Him
Lindell told Judge Bryan in April 2025 that he was “in ruins,” had “borrowed everything” he could, and had no liquid cash. He said he had laid off hundreds of employees, lost warehouse units, owed millions to the IRS over a disputed COVID-era employee retention credit, and had only a truck and two houses left, both being sold. Judge Bryan called those representations “non-verifiable” and ordered financial statements filed under seal.16ABC News. I’m in Ruins: Teary Mike Lindell Tells Judge in Smartmatic Case
MyPillow was formally evicted from a Shakopee, Minnesota warehouse in March 2024 after failing to pay about $217,000 in rent.17Courthouse News. MyPillow Owned by Election Denier Mike Lindell Formally Evicted From Minnesota Warehouse American Express cut the company’s credit line from $1 million to $100,000 in September 2023, and MyPillow turned to high-interest loans after traditional lenders pulled back.18Star Tribune. Mike Lindell MyPillow Smartmatic Finances Law firms that had represented Lindell withdrew from his cases in fall 2023 over unpaid bills.19KARE 11. Judge Rules to Evict MyPillow From Shakopee Warehouse
In November 2025, Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann sued Lindell and MyPillow through his company Villa Pine Drive LLC, alleging Lindell defaulted on a $3 million loan taken in August 2023. The suit says the parties settled in late 2024 on daily payments of $10,300, but the payments never arrived.20Courthouse News. MyPillow CEO Sued Over Contract Breach With Fellow Election Deniers Lindell said he was unaware of the suit.21The Independent. MyPillow Mike Lindell Sued Oltmann
A Federal Fund Lindell Wants to Tap
In May 2026, Lindell said he planned to seek compensation from a $1.8 billion Department of Justice “anti-weaponization” fund created by the Trump administration, claiming three third-party evaluations put MyPillow’s average brand-value loss from boycotts and “debanking” at $400 million.22The Hill. Mike Lindell Trump Anti-Weaponization Fund He said he had submitted a tort claim with the administration in fall 2025 but had not filed a formal claim with the fund as of late May 2026.23Law and Crime. Mike Lindell’s Answer to FedEx’s Fraud Claim Reveals How Trump WH Slush Fund Could Solve MyPillow’s Losses The fund itself is being challenged in court by former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Daniel Hodges, and some Republican senators have publicly opposed its use.