Mike Lindell Defamation Lawsuit: Where Each Case Stands
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Three voting-machine defamation cases against MyPillow founder Mike Lindell made the news. As of October 2026: Dominion’s $1.3 billion suit ended in a confidential settlement in June 2026; Smartmatic has already won a ruling that Lindell’s statements were false and defamatory, and is waiting on a jury to decide actual malice and damages; a former Dominion employee won about $2.3 million in 2025. None of these is a class action — there is no “Mike Lindell settlement” that pays the public.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Lawsuits Say Happened
After the 2020 presidential election, Lindell repeatedly claimed — in self-produced documentaries, interviews and appearances — that voting machines were used to steal the election from Donald Trump. Two voting-technology companies and one former Dominion employee sued him for defamation.
Dominion alleged Lindell knowingly spread false claims that harmed its business. Smartmatic alleged he falsely said its machines rigged the vote in Los Angeles County, which was Smartmatic’s only customer in the 2020 election. The Coomer case was brought by a former Dominion executive over accusations that he used his position to interfere with the election. Lindell has maintained that he believed what he said, and he filed counterclaims against both companies; in May 2022 a federal judge dismissed key parts of those counterclaims and called aspects of them “frivolous.”
Case Details
Dominion: US Dominion, Inc. v. My Pillow, Inc., No. 1:21-cv-00445, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, filed February 2021. Smartmatic: Smartmatic USA Corp. v. Lindell, No. 0:22-cv-00098, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, before Judge Jeffrey Bryan, filed January 2022 and seeking $1.5 billion. Coomer: Coomer v. Lindell, No. 1:22-cv-01129, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, before Judge Nina Wang; defendants include Lindell, My Pillow, Inc. and Frankspeech LLC. Court opinions in all three are published on GovInfo.
Status: One Settled, One Pending, One Verdict
Smartmatic — active. On September 26, 2025, Judge Bryan ruled that Lindell made 51 false, defamatory statements about Smartmatic. Whether he acted with “actual malice,” and how much he owes, is left for a jury. Smartmatic says it will seek “nine-figure damages.” As of October 2026, we found no confirmed trial date in the sources we reviewed.
Coomer — verdict in June 2025. A Denver jury found Lindell liable and awarded about $2.3 million, including punitive damages against Frankspeech. Post-trial proceedings continued into 2026, including a second sanction of $5,000 against Lindell’s lawyer on May 7, 2026 for defective citations.
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Are You Affected?
Almost certainly not as a claimant. These are individual defamation suits by companies and one person. They are not class actions, so there is no class to belong to, no claim form and no deadline. MyPillow customers, Lindell supporters and voters are not parties.
The money in these cases flows to the plaintiffs, if it flows at all. If you are researching defamation for your own situation, the rules are explained on our defamation of character lawsuit page.
What Anyone Is Getting Paid
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 6,426 assault, libel, and slander casesclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025:
- 16.1% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 14.7% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 16.1% and 30.8%.
- 12.9% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 63 reached a trial (1.6%), after a median of 29.5 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 6.2 months.
- Only 87 of them (1.4%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $429,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (libel and slander, defamation) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Mike Lindell Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
February 2021 — Dominion Sues for $1.3 Billion
Dominion files in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleging Lindell knowingly spread false election-rigging claims.
- 2
January 2022 — Smartmatic Sues in Minnesota
Smartmatic files a separate defamation suit in the District of Minnesota over similar claims about its machines.
- 3
June 2025 — Coomer Jury Verdict
A Denver federal jury finds Lindell liable for defaming a former Dominion executive and awards about $2.3 million.
- 4
September 26, 2025 — Judge Rules Statements Defamatory
Judge Jeffrey Bryan rules that 51 of Lindell’s statements were false and defamatory. Actual malice and damages are left for trial.
- 5
June 2026 — Dominion Case Settled
Liberty Vote, formerly Dominion, dismisses the $1.3 billion suit with prejudice under a confidential settlement. Each side pays its own fees.
- 6
As of October 2026 — Smartmatic Damages Pending
The Smartmatic case remains open, with a jury still to decide damages. Lindell lost the August 11, 2026 Republican primary for Minnesota governor.
Three Things to Watch For
A famous name plus the word “settlement” is all a scammer needs:
“Claim your share of the Lindell settlement”
The Dominion settlement was between two parties and is confidential. There is no fund for the public. Any site asking for your details or a fee to “file” is not connected to the case.
MyPillow “refund” or “lawsuit payout” messages
None of these defamation cases involves MyPillow customers. A text or email tying a pillow order to a lawsuit payment and asking for card or bank details is phishing.
Fundraising pitches using the lawsuits
Appeals to “help pay the judgment” or “fight Smartmatic” circulate around high-profile cases. Check who actually receives the money before giving; court filings do not solicit donations.
Mike Lindell Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Did Mike Lindell settle with Dominion?
Yes. In June 2026 the company, now called Liberty Vote, dismissed its $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit with prejudice, saying the parties had agreed to a confidential settlement. Each side pays its own legal fees. The amount, if any, has not been disclosed.
Is there a Mike Lindell settlement I can claim money from?
No. These are defamation suits by companies and an individual, not class actions. There is no settlement fund, no claim form and no deadline for the public. See open class action settlements for cases that do accept claims.
What is the status of the Smartmatic lawsuit?
As of October 2026 it is still active. On September 26, 2025 Judge Jeffrey Bryan ruled that Lindell made 51 false and defamatory statements. A jury still has to decide whether he acted with actual malice and what damages, if any, he owes. Smartmatic has sought $1.5 billion.
How much did Lindell have to pay in the Coomer case?
A federal jury in Colorado awarded about $2.3 million in June 2025 to a former Dominion executive, including punitive damages against Frankspeech, Lindell’s media company. Post-trial litigation continued into 2026.
Why did Dominion drop the case?
Neither side has explained beyond the confidential settlement. The dismissal came after Dominion was sold in October 2025 and renamed Liberty Vote. A dismissal is not a finding that Lindell’s claims were true; the Smartmatic court separately ruled his statements about that company false.
Is MyPillow a defendant?
Yes, in the Dominion and Smartmatic cases, and My Pillow, Inc. is also listed as a defendant in the Coomer case. Lindell announced in 2026 that he was stepping down as MyPillow CEO to run for governor.
Did Lindell countersue?
He did, against both companies. In May 2022 a federal judge dismissed key parts of the counterclaims and imposed sanctions, calling aspects of them “frivolous.” Lindell was later ordered to pay Smartmatic $56,396 over a frivolous counterclaim.
Where can I check the court record myself?
Published opinions are on GovInfo under No. 1:21-cv-00445 (D.D.C.), No. 0:22-cv-00098 (D. Minn.) and No. 1:22-cv-01129 (D. Colo.). Full dockets are on PACER.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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