Colorado podcaster sues Mike Lindell, MyPillow over unpaid $3 million loan
Far-right Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann is suing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a onetime ally in the national election conspiracy theory movement, alleging Lindell breached the terms of $3 million loan agreement, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Douglas County District Court.
The suit, filed by Oltmann’s Villa Pine Drive LLC and co-plaintiff Michelle Klann, alleges that Lindell secured a short-term loan of $3 million from the plaintiffs in August 2023, then failed to repay the loan by the initial maturity date three months later.
“Plaintiffs have made several requests for payment from Defendants since the initial breach to no avail,” the complaint says.
Minnesota-based MyPillow is also named as a defendant.
Lindell subsequently entered into a November 2024 settlement agreement with the plaintiffs, agreeing to make daily payments of $10,300 towards the delinquent loan balance, the suit says — but Lindell has “fail(ed) to make any payments as outlined therein.”
Neither Oltmann nor Lindell responded to inquiries about the lawsuit Wednesday.
The connection between the two men was pivotal in the dissemination of baseless conspiracy theories that alleged widespread fraud in the 2020 election and helped fuel the Jan. 6 insurrection. Oltmann, a Douglas County resident, first rose to prominence in conservative organizing circles during protests against COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, he claimed to have infiltrated an “Antifa conference call” during which he had heard an employee of Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems promise to rig the election against President Donald Trump.
Oltmann’s claims were spread by Lindell’s far-right media network, and by Lindell himself to members of Trump’s inner circle in the weeks preceding Jan. 6. Oltmann and Lindell were among a long list of defendants sued either by Dominion or an ex-employee, Eric Coomer, for defamation. A Colorado jury awarded Coomer $2.3 million in damages from Lindell earlier this year. Dominion’s case against Lindell is still pending, as is a defamation suit filed by Coomer against Oltmann.
Claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent or compromised have been debunked by elections officials, experts, media investigations, law enforcement, the courts and Trump’s own campaign and administration officials.
Oltmann’s lawsuit against Lindell seeks relief in the form of repayment of the full settlement amount, or the transfer of title to several properties in Minnesota and Texas that Lindell put up as collateral for the loan, as well as interest and unspecified further monetary damages and attorney fees.
Lindell was also sued for defamation by Smartmatic, another elections technology company, in 2022. In connection with that case, he told a federal judge in April that he was “in ruins” and not able to pay court-ordered sanctions to the company.
“I borrowed everything I can. Nobody will lend me any money anymore,” Lindell told the judge, according to ABC News. “I can’t turn back time … but I will tell you, I don’t have any money.”
