Judge finally reveals extent of contempt order against Mike Lindell, who claimed 'negative $18.7 million' net worth
Source: Law & Crime
Apr 8th, 2026, 9:36 am
Two weeks after granting Smartmatic's motion to hold MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell in civil contempt for his refusal to pay sanctions, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., has mostly unsealed his reasoning.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Donald Trump appointee, explained why he gave the voting machine company just about everything it asked for, including a "daily penalty" of $500 until the 2020 election conspiracy theorist pays the $56,369 in full and in a "lump sum." That penalty was set to kick in Wednesday if Lindell's "noncompliance" continued as his "history" of it suggested it would, the order — issued on March 24 but filed to the public docket on Tuesday — detailed.
Nichols referred to the fact that he ordered Lindell to pay in January 2025, more than a year ago and counting, but rather than using his $14.8 million in assets to pay as ordered, he claimed to have a "negative $18.7 million" net worth and spent $187,037.87 in Minnesota gubernatorial campaign funds to buy copies of his own book "What Are the Odds? From Crack Addict to CEO" from his own company MyPillow Inc. — just to give the books away.
"That Lindell prioritized spending in other legal proceedings over this case—despite those proceedings taking place after the Court ordered him to pay Smartmatic for filing frivolous counterclaims against it—does not excuse his failure to pay here," the judge said, tacking on a footnote that slammed Lindell's failure to explain why the "sanction should be treated as inferior to all his other outstanding liabilities."
Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/smartmatic-judge-unseals-contempt-order-against-mike-lindell/
Full headline: 'Does not excuse his failure to pay': Judge finally reveals extent of contempt order against Mike Lindell, who claimed 'negative $18.7 million' net worth to stiff Smartmatic
Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/28028315/lindell-order.pdf
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