MyPillow Inc. sued voting machine maker Dominion Voting Systems on Monday, a move to the contrary after Dominion sued the bedding company and its chief executive, Mike Lindell, for defamation for election fraud claims.
MyPillow’s lawsuit seeks more than $ 1.6 billion in damages.
In the complaint, the private company says it is suing to protect free speech and to fix the damage MyPillow says it has suffered.
“This lawsuit is backed in support of the ideas market and to fix the serious damage MyPillow has suffered as a result of Dominion’s speech suppression and attacks on the company,” the lawsuit states.
MyPillow’s lawsuit says there is a difference between Mr. Lindell’s statements and the company.
“In making those statements, Lindell spoke for himself, not MyPillow,” the lawsuit says. “MyPillow has not been involved in debates over the 2020 election. However, as a U.S. company that upholds U.S. constitutional values, MyPillow unreservedly supports Lindell’s right to exercise its First Amendment freedoms. in matters of critical public concern, such as electoral issues.
“This is a retaliation lawsuit, filed by MyPillow to try to distract from the harm it caused Dominion,” said Dominion lawyer Stephen Shackelford.
In February, Denver-based Dominion sued MyPillow and Mr. Lindell in the federal district of the District of Columbia. Dominion’s lawsuit alleged that Mr. Lindell had defamed the company on charges of manipulating the 2020 election for President Biden and Dominion claimed more than $ 1.3 billion in damages.
No court or electoral authority has found evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Ballot counts confirmed election results in several key states and counties. The campaign of former President Donald Trump and his allies lost dozens of lawsuits trying to challenge the results.
Write to Alexa Corse at [email protected]
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