MyPillow guy Mike Lindell recently flat-out dared Dominion Voting Systems to sue him over his baseless election-fraud claims, and he’s now filed a (differing) lawsuit of his own. The CEO’s sure had an eventful month so far, given that his products have also been dropped by Bed, Bath & Beyond (and more vendors), and he’s been permanently banned from Twitter. Let’s talk about Lindell’s defamation lawsuit though, which involves his reaction to rumors that he dated a prominent TV actress.
To recap, the The Daily Mail published a story that alleged that Lindell had secretly romanced 30 Rock and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Jane Krakowski for nine months. The story claimed that she was the one that broke things off, but that’s not what upset Lindell. Rather, he has declared to a New York federal court that his “hard-earned credibility” has been threatened by the rumors, given that The Mail alleged that he gave Jane gifts of liquor. The lawsuit language explains the situation more, via Hollywood Reporter, which posted the filing:
“Defendants’ false and defamatory statements about Mr. Lindell have caused tremendous harm to his personal and professional reputation and prospective economic opportunities, as well as causing him significant humiliation and emotional distress. In particular (and without limitation), Mr. Lindell founded the Lindell Recovery Network, a platform that helps those struggling with addiction connect with recovery organizations. Defendants’ fabricated story that he showered Ms. Krakowski with gifts of ‘champagne and bottles of different liquor’ severely undermines Mr. Lindell’s hard-earned credibility, integrity and character in the field of addiction recovery as well as in religious communities. Mr. Lindell’s ability to succeed in this important effort have been severely impacted by Defendants’ wrongful actions.”
THR notes that Lindell hired attorney Charles Harder, who’s also worked on Trump libel suits. He’s also sued a British tabloid in a New York federal court, and in order to win the lawsuit, Lindell will have “to show reckless disregard of the truth on the newspaper’s part as well as real damage.” It’s a tough standard to reach but not an impossible one, and it remains to be seen whether Lindell will also sue in the U.K., which has laws that plaintiffs generally prefer in libel suits (it’s easier to sue a tabloid on that side of the pond).
As for Krakowski, she reacted with humor to those dating rumors. However and yes, she emphatically denied the story to E! News: “Jane has never met Mr. Lindell. She is not and has never been in any relationship with him, romantic or otherwise.” Oh, but “She is, however, in full-fledged fantasy relationships with Brad Pitt, Regé-Jean Page and Kermit the Frog and welcomes any and all coverage on those.”
(Via Hollywood Reporter & to E! News)