Supreme Court turns back effort by MyPillow CEO Lindell to toss $1.3 billion defamation suit

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WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump who is trying to fend off a defamation suit from a voting company he falsely accused of rigging the 2020 election.

Michael Lindell, the founder of MyPillow and a regular presence at Trump's rallies, is fighting a $1.3 billion defamation suit filed in federal court by US Dominion, the company that manufacturers voting machines used in several battleground states.

Lindell's effort was denied by a Trump-appointed U.S. District judge last year. When Lindell appealed, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the case was not ready for review. Lindell asked the Supreme Court to rule that he could immediately appeal in order to avoid "long and expensive" court proceedings.

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Lindell argues that US Dominion hasn't met the standard governing defamation claims set out in the court's landmark 1964 decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. Specifically, he asserted that the company had not proved that he knew his comments were false or that they were spoken with a reckless disregard for truth or falsity.

My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell listens as former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the I-80 Speedway on May 01, 2022 in Greenwood, Nebraska. Trump is supporting Charles Herbster in the Nebraska gubernatorial race.
My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell listens as former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the I-80 Speedway on May 01, 2022 in Greenwood, Nebraska. Trump is supporting Charles Herbster in the Nebraska gubernatorial race.

The lower federal court disagreed.

"As a preliminary matter, a reasonable juror could conclude that the existence of a vast international conspiracy that is ignored by the government but proven by a spreadsheet on an internet blog is so inherently improbable that only a reckless man would believe it," U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols wrote in his opinion.

The company, Nichols wrote, "has adequately alleged that Lindell made his claims knowing that they were false or with reckless disregard for the truth."

The case is MyPillow v. US Dominion.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court won't hear case by MyPillow CEO over defamation suit