Voltar

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Loses Defamation Case, Lawyers Fined

Key Points

  • MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell lost a defamation case
  • Lindell’s lawyers were fined $6,000 for using artificial intelligence in a brief
  • The brief contained misquotes and citations to fictional cases
  • A jury found that Lindell defamed former Dominion Voting Systems executive Eric Coomer
  • Lindell was ordered to pay $440,500 in damages
  • Lindell’s media company, Frankspeech, was ordered to pay $1,865,500 in damages

CPAC Conference Main Stage Address

A political conference stage setup with a transparent podium bearing the CPAC logo. The stage features a dramatic red, white and blue color scheme with diagonal stripes and star motifs. On the right side is a large display showing an American flag graphic with the text ‘PROTECTING AMERICA NOW’. The stage includes white chairs and professional lighting setup. A speaker is at the podium gesturing with both hands raised while speaking.

Lawyers representing MyPillow and its CEO Mike Lindell were fined $6,000 after using artificial intelligence in a brief that was riddled with misquotes and citations to fictional cases.

Attorney Christopher Kachouroff and the law firm of McSweeney Cynkar & Kachouroff were fined $3,000, jointly and severally. Attorney Jennifer DeMaster was separately ordered to pay $3,000. This “is the least severe sanction adequate to deter and punish defense counsel in this instance,” US District Judge Nina Wang wrote in an order.

Kachouroff and DeMaster were defending Lindell against a defamation lawsuit filed by former Dominion Voting Systems executive Eric Coomer, whose complaint said Lindell and his companies “have been among the most prolific vectors of baseless conspiracy theories claiming election fraud in the 2020 election.”

The sanctioning of the lawyers came several weeks after a jury trial in which Coomer was awarded over $2.3 million in damages. A jury found that Lindell defamed Coomer and ordered him to pay $440,500. The jury also found that Lindell’s media company, Frankspeech, defamed Coomer and ordered it to pay damages of $1,865,500. The jury did not find that MyPillow defamed Coomer.

The brief that got Lindell’s lawyers in trouble was an opposition to Coomer’s motion asking the court to exclude certain evidence. Coomer’s motion was partially granted before the trial began.

Source: arstechnica.com