Judge Upholds Lindell Defamation Verdict and Threatens His Lawyers With Sanctions
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U.S. District Judge Nina Wang in Colorado has denied MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s bid to overturn a jury verdict of more than $2 million for defaming former Dominion Voting Systems employee Eric Coomer, while also ordering attorneys for Lindell’s media company Frankspeech to explain why they should not be further sanctioned and referred to state bars. Wang, a Biden appointee, rejected post‑trial motions from Lindell and Frankspeech challenging the jury’s finding that Lindell’s broadcasts falsely accused Coomer of rigging the 2020 election, testimony Coomer said has effectively ended his prospects for future election work. At the same time, she refused Coomer’s request to increase damages but sharply criticized defense lawyers Christopher Kachouroff and Jennifer DeMaster for again submitting a brief that mischaracterized a trial‑level decision as an appellate ruling, after she had previously fined them $3,000 each for a similar AI‑related “wrong draft” citation error. Calling their repeated failures “inexplicable” and underscoring attorneys’ “fundamental duty” to verify authorities they cite, Wang gave them until April 8 to argue why they should not face additional monetary sanctions and bar referrals in Virginia and Wisconsin. The ruling tightens legal accountability not only for election disinformation related to Dominion but also for lawyers who rely on or blame generative AI in federal filings, a point already drawing attention in legal circles online as another warning shot about sloppy tech-assisted lawyering.