The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s appeal challenging the seizure of his cellphone by the FBI, leaving the outspoken election denier without recourse to recover the device or contest the methods of its capture. The high court’s rejection came without commentary on Monday, following a consistent trajectory of adverse lower court rulings Lindell has faced in his ongoing legal battles.
Lindell, who gained notoriety for his persistent and unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump through voting machine manipulation, had his cellphone confiscated by FBI agents in 2022. The encounter took place at a Hardee’s fast-food restaurant drive-through in Mankato, Minnesota, as part of an investigation into a supposed plot to penetrate voting system technology in Mesa County, Colorado.
Challenging the seizure, Lindell alleged that his constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures were violated, framing the incident as a government effort to suppress his freedom of speech. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, however, saw through the veil of these allegations. In a statement from last September, a three-judge appeals panel noted, “While he has at times attempted to assert otherwise, Lindell’s objective in this action is apparent — this litigation is a tactic to, at a minimum, interfere with and, at most, enjoin a criminal investigation and ultimately hamper any potential federal prosecution.”
The setback for Lindell extends beyond the Supreme Court’s refusal to entertain his petition. He is currently embroiled in defamation lawsuits from two voting machine companies. These legal woes have been compounded by financial difficulties; attorneys originally defending him in the defamation cases quit over unpaid bills. Furthermore, a judge in February upheld a $5 million arbitration award against Lindell to a software engineer.
The ripple effects of Lindell’s controversies have also touched MyPillow’s bottom line. The company faced a credit crunch last year after losing Fox News as one of its main advertising platforms and being dropped by several national retailers.
In essence, the Supreme Court’s decision is yet another chapter in what appears to be a spiraling series of professional and legal hardships for Lindell, a staunch Trump ally. While his legal team indicated in February that Lindell had not yet regained possession of his cellphone, the refusal by the Supreme Court to review the case effectively closes this avenue of legal challenge.
Relevant articles:
– Supreme Court denies Mike Lindell’s petition challenging FBI’s seizure of his cellphone
– MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Trump ally, has his phone seizure case rejected by Supreme Court, Yahoo Canada, Mon, 15 Apr 2024 21:52:02 GMT
– Supreme Court Rejects Mike Lindell’s Petition Over FBI Cellphone Seizure: Legal and Financial Setbacks Mount, Jet Vital, Tue, 16 Apr 2024 16:50:09 GMT
– Supreme Court won’t hear election denier Mike Lindell’s challenge over FBI cellphone seizure, The Bharat Express News, Tue, 16 Apr 2024 17:05:07 GMT