Judge denies Mike Lindell's attempt to dismiss Smartmatic defamation suit

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A federal judge ruled Monday that MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell must face a defamation suit brought by a voting machine maker that claims he defamed it by pushing false narratives that the 2020 election was stolen.

U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright denied Lindell's motion to dismiss the suit by Smartmatic, concluding that the company had alleged sufficient facts to support its defamation claim.

Wright said that there was a "wealth of information" that could have indicated that Lindell's conspiracy theory was false, including individual states' election reports and public statements by election officials.

Smartmatic, whose voting machines were used only in Los Angeles in 2020, has alleged that Lindell's conspiracy theories made its brand "synonymous with election fraud in the minds of members of the public and government officials."

Judge Wright also ruled that Smartmatic can pursue its claim that Lindell violated the Minnesota Deceptive Trade Practice since the company has alleged sufficient evidence to its claim that Lindell's statements were made in part to promote MyPillow.

A similar suit has also been brought by another voting machine company, Dominion Voting Systems.

Last week Lindell, who has continued to make false claims about the 2020 election, had his phone seized by the FBI at a Hardee's drive-thru.