MyPillow CEO, who promised to help Shasta County, faces another eviction lawsuit
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who promised to financially support Shasta County in its failed effort to hand-count election ballots, now finds himself in legal trouble once again over financial issues in Minnesota.
Lindell faces an eviction lawsuit against his company over its alleged failure to pay nearly $450,000 rent for June and July at a warehouse in Shakopee, Minnesota, according to the Associated Press. Lindell told a local television station, WCCO-TV that, "We have this resolved."
Lindell was pulled into Shasta County politics last year when Supervisor Kevin Crye visited the pillow salesman and consulted with him about terminating the county's contract with Dominion Voting Systems and transitioning to a hand-count method of tabulating ballots.
Crye said in February 2023 that he emailed Lindell and that he spoke to the MyPillow CEO numerous times, including flying to Minneapolis to visit with him. Crye charged the county $1,393 for the cost of that trip.
Crye said Lindell sent him an email providing him an example of how a hand-count system could work, should the county go that route. Lindell has been a staunch supporter of former President Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
“I have sent you the best hand-counting paper-ballot system that you can use. Also, I’ve provided you the United States law that documents what you can do for the handicap without machines,” Crye said reading aloud at a Board of Supervisors meeting an email he said he received from Lindell.
In the email, Lindell went on to offer financial and legal support if the county were to be sued over dropping the Dominion Voting Systems, which counts ballots electronically: “As I promised, if you have any pushback, including lawsuits against you or your county, I will provide all of the resources necessary, including financial and legal for this fight.”
While the supervisors approved spending more than $1 million to move to hand-counting ballots, the elections office continues to use machines to tally votes. Responding to the county's efforts to hand-count, the California Legislature last year outlawed manual tabulation in elections with more than 1,000 registered voters.
But Lindell, who announced last year that he was out of money, has recently run into his own legal issues.
In March, ABC News reported that a judge evicted MyPillow from another building in Shakopee over the company's alleged failure to pay four months rent. Lindell also faces a billion-dollar defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems over his claims that the company played a role in Trump's loss in that election.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: MyPillow CEO, who promised to help Shasta, faces eviction
