A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered MyPillow founder Michael J. Lindell to pay $51,500 in civil contempt penalties following a period of noncompliance in an ongoing legal dispute with Smartmatic.
U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols signed the order on July 20, granting a motion for final judgment filed by Smartmatic USA Corp., Smartmatic International Holding B.V., and SGO Corporation Limited. The ruling follows Lindell’s failure to oppose the motion.
Under the terms of the order, Lindell must deposit the $51,500 penalty into the Registry of the Court on or before August 21. The fine calculates a daily penalty of $500 applied across 103 days of noncompliance.
Judge Nichols noted in a footnote that the funds are payable to the court registry rather than directly to Smartmatic because the penalty serves to compel compliance rather than provide financial restitution.
“When a sanction is designed to coerce a recalcitrant party to comply, the sanction should be payable to the court, rather than to the opposing party,” Nichols wrote, citing previous federal circuit court precedents.
The judge warned that failure to meet the August deadline could trigger additional court sanctions.
The court approved the formal judgment structure, directing the Clerk of Court to enter judgment in favor of Smartmatic.
Under the order, post-judgment interest will accumulate at the standard statutory rate set by federal law, though Smartmatic will not receive pre-judgment interest or per diem penalty payouts from this specific fine.
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