Federal judge rules Lindell defamed Smartmatic
A U.S. federal judge in Minnesota ruled on Sept. 26, 2025 that MyPillow founder Mike Lindell made false statements defaming election technology company Smartmatic by repeatedly claiming its machines rigged the 2020 presidential election. Judge Jeffrey Bryan identified 51 specific false statements and concluded no reasonable trier of fact could find them true, while deferring the question of whether Lindell acted with actual malice—an element Smartmatic must prove to recover damages. Smartmatic says it will seek nine-figure damages from Lindell and MyPillow; Lindell vowed to continue his campaign against voting machines and said he is considering a Minnesota gubernatorial run.
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MyPillow founder Mike Lindell defamed Smartmatic, federal judge rules
New information:
- U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan (Minnesota) found 51 specific false statements by Mike Lindell about Smartmatic
- The court ruled the challenged statements are not true but deferred the 'actual malice' determination to later proceedings
- Smartmatic will seek nine-figure damages from Lindell and MyPillow; Lindell previously lost or faced rulings in related Dominion litigation (a June jury awarded $2.3M in a Dominion-related defamation case)