MyPillow CEO and former Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell is facing renewed legal pressure from voting machine company Smartmatic, which says he used campaign donations to benefit himself rather than pay court-ordered sanctions tied to his baseless 2020 election fraud claims.
Smartmatic Flags Questionable Campaign Spending
In a court filing submitted Monday, Smartmatic alerted U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols to public records showing Lindell’s 2025 campaign finances, as reported by the state of Minnesota. The two-page filing highlights that more than half of Lindell’s campaign spending went to MyPillow Inc., the company he owns.
Out of $272,578.03 in total campaign expenses, $187,037.87 went to MyPillow for what were listed as purchases of “Lindell Books” and “Mike Lindell Books”, including his self-published memoir “What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO.” Lindell previously claimed he gave away more than 20,000 copies of the book, according to reporting by the Minnesota Reformer.
Smartmatic: Lindell Paid Himself Instead of Paying Court-Ordered Sanctions
Smartmatic argues that this spending pattern shows Lindell has the financial ability to pay the $56,369 in sanctions he was ordered to pay in January 2025, but has chosen not to.
“In other words, the majority of the funds raised by the Campaign in 2025 were used to make bulk purchases of books from MyPillow Inc., of which Mr. Lindell is the Founder, CEO, and Majority Shareholder,” Smartmatic’s attorneys stated.
They accuse Lindell of using the campaign as a vehicle to funnel money back into his own business, and ultimately into his own pockets.
Push for Contempt Charges Against Lindell
Smartmatic previously asked the court to hold Lindell in contempt and impose daily penalties until he complies with the sanctions order. In their latest filing, they urge the judge to act quickly, saying Lindell is deliberately ignoring the court’s authority.
“This is not an inability to pay. It is a calculated refusal to pay,” Smartmatic said. “Only the threat of contempt will move him to comply.”
Background: 2020 Election Claims and Defamation Fallout
Though Smartmatic’s voting technology was only used in Los Angeles County during the 2020 election—a county President Joe Biden won easily—the company was still dragged into widespread conspiracy theories promoted by allies of then-President Donald Trump.
Lindell repeated false claims that Smartmatic was tied to deceased Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez and helped steal the election, leading to multiple defamation lawsuits.
While Smartmatic became involved as a third-party in the ongoing Dominion Voting Systems defamation case, Lindell filed a countersuit claiming RICO violations, which the court largely rejected as frivolous. Judge Nichols ordered the $56,369 sanctions as a result.
Smartmatic: Lindell Has Shown No Interest in Paying
Nearly a year after the sanctions order, Smartmatic says Lindell has “not meaningfully engaged” in any discussions about repayment. His campaign’s own financial disclosures now suggest, they argue, that he could pay—but refuses to.
“Mr. Lindell’s instant response demonstrates precisely what Smartmatic foresaw: a claim of inability to pay born of disregard for this Court’s orders,” the company stated.
Smartmatic is now requesting that additional contempt sanctions be imposed to force compliance.
