Smartmatic sues Mike Lindell for defamation, saying he is 'crazy like a fox' and alleging he 'intentionally stoked the fires of xenophobia and party divide for the noble purpose of selling his pillows'

• Voting company Smartmatic filed a defamation lawsuit against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on Tuesday.

• "Crazy like a fox. Mike Lindell knows exactly what he is doing, and it is dangerous," Smartmatic said.

• Smartmatic claims Lindell is pushing conspiracy theories in order to sell more pillows.

Voting-machine company Smartmatic filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, alleging that he spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election to sell pillows.

"Crazy like a fox. Mike Lindell knows exactly what he is doing, and it is dangerous," Smartmatic said in its lawsuit, which includes Lindell's company, MyPillow, as one of the defendants.

Smartmatic is suing for defamation and deceptive trade practices. The company is asking for an unspecified amount of monetary compensation and for Lindell to retract claims he made that Smartmatic and other voting-machine companies switched votes from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden in 2020.

"He knows voting machines did not switch votes from former President Trump to now-President Biden. These facts do not matter to Mr. Lindell because he knows he can sell," according to Smartmatic's lawsuit. "He knows he can sell a preconceived story about voting machines stealing democracy by stealing votes from a president who is incredibly popular with millions of Americans. And, of course, Mr. Lindell — 'the MyPillow Guy' — knows he needs to sell pillows to keep and increase his fortune."

In its filing, the company further alleged that Lindell was taking advantage of a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to make money by pushing baseless voter-fraud claims.

"Mr. Lindell intentionally stoked the fires of xenophobia and party-divide for the noble purpose of selling his pillows," said Smartmatic's complaint, adding that MyPillow branding was placed "conveniently" and "strategically" during Lindell's media appearances.

"Mr. Lindell's message was as dangerous as it was factually inaccurate," Smartmatic's lawsuit said.

When reached for comment on Tuesday night, Lindell told Insider that he was "excited" about the Smartmatic lawsuit because it would allow him to present evidence that he says he has on the company.

"They're guilty. They've attacked us and were part of the biggest crime in history against our country. And they're going to all go to prison," Lindell told Insider when asked for comment about Smartmatic's lawsuit against him. "The reason I'm going after Smartmatic and Dominion is because they helped commit one of the biggest crimes against the American people, and my grandchildren deserve a future in this country."

"It's kind of hilarious when I've lost over $80 million from the box stores, retailers, and shopping channels dropping me. And I poured over $30 million into this election crimes that these guys committed and Smartmatic helped commit," Lindell told Insider. "Also, I was selling pillows long before the election."

Lindell previously told Insider that he had spent more than $25 million on voter-fraud claims, adding that the breakdown included $10 million that he said he spent building Frank Speech, the social-media platform from which he broadcasts nightly.

This lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal troubles for the pillow CEO. He is also facing a lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems. The company filed a defamation suit against Lindell for $1.3 billion. MyPillow is countersuing Dominion for $1.6 billion.

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