
Following allegations that conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell built up millions in unpaid legal bills, the attorneys representing Lindell and his company MyPillow in the defamation lawsuits filed by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic have moved to withdraw from both cases.
Parker Daniels Kibort, a law company with offices in Minnesota, said in court documents that Lindell and MyPillow failed to pay the firm for its work on the case and would not be able to do so in the future.
“On October 2, 2023, [the law firm] received notice by Defendants that they weren’t able to get caught up with or generate any payment on the substantial sum they owe in arrears nor pay for anyplace near the estimated expense of going on to defend against the lawsuits heading forward, which includes either the legal fees or litigation costs,” according to the filing.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Lindell revealed that he hasn’t paid his lawyers in two or three months and that he’s uncertain of his next legal counsel. Although Lindell was being sued for defamation by Dominion and Smartmatic, another electoral technology business, he was emphatic that he would not agree to a settlement with either of them.
“Not in a million years,” he answered.
Dominion, an election technology provider, sued MyPillow and Lindell in 2021 for $1.3 billion over his repeated claims that Dominion had rigged its machines to give Joe Biden a victory over Donald Trump. Dominion has been the target of discredited right-wing conspiracy theories regarding voting fraud in the 2020 election.
Similar to Smartmatic, Lindell was sued for defamation on the grounds that he misrepresented the firm’s involvement in the 2020 election in order to benefit himself financially.
MyPillow, a frequent advertiser on the right-wing cable network Fox News, which also supported fake election conspiracy theories, started experiencing financial difficulties after Dominion’s lawsuit, Lindell told CNN. As a result, MyPillow is currently unable to cover their legal expenses.
Lindell and MyPillow, who were informed of their attorneys’ intention to withdraw on Thursday, stated they would not object to the action and “understand the need to withdraw due to the lack of funds,” according to the court document.
Before officially terminating their representation of Lindell and MyPillow, the attorneys must obtain the court’s approval of their request to withdraw.
The court document reveals that Dominion’s legal representatives had no stance on the motion at the time it was submitted. A CNN request for comment was not immediately answered by Dominion or Smartmatic.
Lindell blamed his financial difficulties on “attacks on MyPillow” that had been “devastating” to the company’s credit in a statement made on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” program on Thursday.
“I — can’t afford the attorneys. We are unable to make a payment. No money is left to pay them, he declared. I’m not sure where that leaves us, though.