Federal judge finds Mike Lindell defamed Smartmatic with 2020 election claims

A federal judge in Minnesota has ruled that Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow, defamed voting technology firm Smartmatic by claiming on numerous occasions that its machines helped rig the 2020 presidential election.

In a decision issued Friday, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan identified 51 instances in which Lindell made false statements in media appearances and in documentaries, claiming that Smartmatic manipulated results, according to the Associated Press.

The judge wrote that “no reasonable trier of fact could find that any of the statements at issue are true."

Judge Bryan hasn't yet decided if Lindell acted with "actual malice," which Smartmatic would need to prove to recover damages.