In a 52-page filing in the federal DC District Court, Dominion Voting Systems moved for the judge to toss out the motion by Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow and the purveyor of falsehoods about the 2020 election, to have the defamation case against him completely dismissed.
Lindell’s lawyers filed a rather standard motion to dismiss the case based on typical bases: no standing, wrong jurisdiction, and a rather unique claim that Lindell’s company, MyPillow, should not be held responsible for the statements of its owner.
Dominion, however, notes that were it not for Lindell’s claimed fame–through his ownership of MyPillow, his appearances in their commercials, and the recognition he got on Fox News as a sponsor–the claims made by Lindell wouldn’t have been taken serious. They also note that Lindell made money off his promotion through MyPillow by offering discounts to his conspiracy theory believers.
“In addition to alleging that Lindell was acting as MyPillow’s agent at all relevant times, the Complaint alleges that: (1) Lindell is commonly known as ‘the MyPillow Guy;’ (2) Lindell personally stars in MyPillow advertisements; (3) Lindell was repeatedly identified as MyPillow’s CEO in media appearances where he marketed MyPillow while defaming Dominion; (4) Lindell was given a platform to defame Dominion at rallies in Washington, D.C. because MyPillow had sponsored the events; (5) Lindell received creduluous favorable coverage on Fox News—including when he lied about Dominion—because MyPillow is one of Fox’s biggest sponsors; (6) MyPillow accepted promo codes like ‘FightforTrump,’ QAnon,’ ‘Q,’ and ‘Proof;’ and (7) many people bought MyPillow products because of the defamatory marketing campaign.”
Dominion is seeking $1.3 billion from Lindell and MyPillow as part of a defamation suit, claiming that Lindell’s false statements about the company have irreparably damaged the company’s reputation.