Mike Lindell and MyPillow are tangled in a stack of lawsuits that, taken together, threaten to bankrupt both the company and its founder. The active MyPillow lawsuits include defamation cases brought by Smartmatic, Dominion Voting Systems, and former Dominion executive Eric Coomer, along with a contempt finding over unpaid sanctions, a multimillion-dollar default judgment on an unpaid loan, and a vacated $5 million contest award. Most of the litigation flows from Lindell’s promotion of false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Here is where each case stands as of mid-2026.
Smartmatic’s $1.5 Billion Defamation Case
Smartmatic USA sued Lindell and MyPillow in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota in January 2022, alleging that Lindell defamed the voting technology company by falsely claiming its machines were used to rig the 2020 election.1CourtListener. Smartmatic USA Corp. v. Lindell The complaint identified statements Lindell made between February and June 2021, including accusations that Smartmatic conspired with other election companies, that its software was compromised by China, and that its machines were designed to steal elections.2GovInfo. Smartmatic USA Corp. v. Lindell, Complaint
On September 26, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan granted summary judgment to Smartmatic, ruling that Lindell had defamed the company in 51 specific instances. The judge wrote that “no reasonable trier of fact could find that any of the statements at issue are true” and that the statements were “defamatory per se.”3Star Tribune. Mike Lindell Smartmatic Defamation Ruling The court also found MyPillow liable for aiding Lindell’s conduct.4CBS News. MyPillow Founder Mike Lindell Defamed Smartmatic, Federal Judge Rules
The ruling did not end the case. Judge Bryan deferred the question of whether Lindell acted with actual malice — meaning he knew his claims were false or made them with reckless disregard for the truth — to future proceedings.5MPR News. Judge Rules MyPillow Guy Mike Lindell Defamed Smartmatic A jury will decide whether Smartmatic can collect damages, and how much. The company is seeking $1.5 billion. No trial date had been set as of mid-2026.1CourtListener. Smartmatic USA Corp. v. Lindell
The Coomer Verdict: $2.3 Million and an Appeal
Eric Coomer, formerly Dominion Voting Systems’ director of product strategy and security, sued Lindell and his media companies in federal court in Colorado in April 2022. Coomer alleged Lindell spread false claims accusing him of personally helping rig the 2020 election, amplifying the theory across his media platforms and at his 2021 “Cyber Symposium.”6CPR News. MyPillow CEO Lindell Defamation Trial Closing Statements
At trial in Denver, Coomer’s team identified ten specific defamatory statements, including Lindell calling him “disgusting,” “treasonous,” and “a traitor to the United States of America,” and later “a criminal” who had been “part of the biggest crime this world has ever seen.”7Colorado Sun. Mike Lindell My Pillow Defamation Verdict Coomer testified the allegations had “irreparably tarnished” his reputation and subjected him to frequent credible death threats.8BBC. Mike Lindell Ordered to Pay Over Defamation
On June 16, 2025, the jury found Lindell had defamed Coomer and awarded approximately $2.3 million. That was well short of the $62.7 million Coomer sought. The jury found MyPillow itself not liable and rejected claims tied to third-party comments on Lindell’s platforms.7Colorado Sun. Mike Lindell My Pillow Defamation Verdict
Lindell said he would appeal.8BBC. Mike Lindell Ordered to Pay Over Defamation On March 25, 2026, Judge Nina Y. Wang denied his post-trial motions. The court rejected the argument that Lindell’s media company, Frankspeech LLC, was shielded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, finding Frankspeech acted as an “information content provider” that sponsored and promoted events where defamatory statements were made. The judge upheld the economic damages and rejected the contention that the jury’s decision not to award punitive damages against Lindell personally meant it had not found actual malice.9WebsiteDC. Coomer v. Lindell, Order Denying Post-Trial Motions
Dominion’s $1.3 Billion Suit
Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Lindell and MyPillow in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on February 22, 2021.10CourtListener. US Dominion Inc. v. My Pillow Inc. The case, before Judge Carl J. Nichols, alleges Lindell defamed the company through his documentary “Absolute Proof” and public appearances by claiming Dominion machines were used by foreign countries, including China, to switch votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.11PlainSite. US Dominion Inc. et al v. My Pillow Inc. et al
The case is active. Filings appeared as recently as April 2026, and sealed orders were issued in March 2026, but no trial date or public ruling on the merits has been announced.11PlainSite. US Dominion Inc. et al v. My Pillow Inc. et al
The “Prove Mike Wrong” $5 Million Award, Vacated
At his August 2021 Cyber Symposium in South Dakota, Lindell offered $5 million to anyone who could prove that data he presented was not evidence of Chinese interference in the 2020 election. Robert Zeidman, a Las Vegas software developer, entered the contest, submitted a 15-page report concluding the data contained no election-related information, and — after being rejected by the contest’s internal judges — took the dispute to arbitration.12CBS Minnesota. Mike Lindell Appeals Court Voids 5M Award Election Data Dispute
A three-member American Arbitration Association panel ruled unanimously for Zeidman, finding his submission “unequivocally” proved the data was unrelated to the 2020 election and ordering Lindell to pay.13New York Times. MyPillow Founder Challenge Winnings A federal district judge in Minnesota confirmed the award in 2024, while noting concerns about the “poorly written contest rules.”12CBS Minnesota. Mike Lindell Appeals Court Voids 5M Award Election Data Dispute
On July 23, 2025, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed and vacated the $5 million award. The appellate court held the arbitration panel had exceeded its authority by interpreting “election data” to mean “packet capture data” when the contest rules never used that term, effectively rewriting the contract by relying on outside evidence to define an unambiguous term. “Fair or not, agreed-to contract terms may not be modified by the panel or by this court,” the judges wrote.14Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Lindell Management LLC v. Zeidman, No. 24-1608
Civil Contempt Over Unpaid Sanctions
Lindell was ordered in January 2025 to pay $56,369 in sanctions to Smartmatic over what Judge Nichols called “frivolous” election-related claims in the D.C. federal case. Lindell did not pay. At an April 2025 hearing, he told the court he was “in ruins” and said, “I borrowed everything I can. Nobody will lend me any money anymore.”15ABC News. Teary Mike Lindell Tells Judge Smartmatic
On March 24, 2026, Judge Nichols held Lindell in civil contempt. The judge rejected Lindell’s inability-to-pay defense, pointing out he had continued paying lawyers in other cases and that his Minnesota gubernatorial campaign had spent $187,000 on copies of his own memoir. The court imposed a fine of $500 per day until the full amount is paid.16KYMA. Mike Lindell Held in Civil Contempt for Non-Payment
Default Judgment on an Unpaid $3 Million Loan
One of Lindell’s own allies also sued him. Joe Oltmann, the conservative podcaster whose “Eric from Dominion” claims fed the Coomer defamation case, lent Lindell $3 million through his entity Villa Pine Drive LLC in August 2023. Lindell failed to repay when it came due three months later. The parties reached a settlement in November 2024 calling for daily payments of $10,300, but according to the lawsuit, Lindell never made a single payment.17Colorado Newsline. Far-Right Colorado Podcaster Sues Mike Lindell MyPillow Over Unpaid 3 Million Loan
The complaint was filed on November 3, 2025, in Douglas County District Court in Colorado. Lindell said at the time he was unaware of the lawsuit.18Yahoo News. Far Podcaster Sues MyPillow Mike MyPillow, Inc. never responded. On January 22, 2026, the court entered a default judgment against the company for $5,036,700, plus contractual interest of $100,000 per month accruing from November 2023 until the principal is paid.19Courthouse News Service. Klann v. Lindell, Default Judgment Order
Earlier Consumer Protection Settlement
Before election litigation dominated Lindell’s docket, MyPillow settled consumer protection charges in California. In 2016, the Alameda County District Attorney’s office resolved allegations that the company had made misleading health claims for its pillows, including marketing them as able to cure fibromyalgia, insomnia, and migraines. MyPillow was also barred from calling itself the “official pillow” of the National Sleep Foundation, a designation it had obtained by paying the foundation. The company paid $1 million in civil fines.20Washington Post. My Pillow the Infomercial Sensation Flunks Out of Better Business Bureau
Where the Money Stands
The cumulative pressure of these cases has hollowed out Lindell’s finances and MyPillow’s operations. Lindell has said his election activism cost the company roughly $100 million, and in March 2024 he claimed to have $10,000 to his name.21CBS Minnesota. Lawsuit MyPillow Eviction Mike Lindell Minnesota Walmart and other major retailers dropped MyPillow products, Fox News stopped airing the company’s commercials in January 2024 over a payment dispute, and in 2023 the company auctioned off industrial equipment and began subleasing manufacturing space. A judge evicted MyPillow from a Shakopee, Minnesota warehouse in early 2024 after it fell months behind on rent, owing $217,489. Lindell’s own attorneys have sought to withdraw from his cases, citing millions in unpaid legal fees.22The Guardian. Mike Lindell Testify 2020 Election Trial
Lindell launched a Republican campaign for governor of Minnesota in December 2025, with Donald Trump endorsing him as someone who “deserves to be governor.”23PBS NewsHour. MyPillow Founder and Trump Ally Mike Lindell to Run for Minnesota Governor in 2026 At the Minnesota Republican state convention in May 2026, he finished third with 21.4% of the vote and was dropped from the endorsement process. The party’s nomination committee had flagged “financial irregularities” in his candidacy, and Lindell acknowledged being $10 million in debt.24Minnesota Reformer. Kendall Qualls Wins GOP Endorsement for Governor He said he plans to continue running in the August 2026 primary.25Democracy Docket. Mike Lindell Loses GOP Endorsement in Minnesota Governors Race