ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – A court on Wednesday ordered MyPillow to vacate a warehouse it previously occupied in a Minneapolis suburb, but the company's founder and prominent election denier Mike Lindell has filed a lawsuit against the landlord. He said this was just a formality as he wanted the property back. .
In an interview with The Associated Press, Lindell denied the eviction was another sign of his financial woes. He said its financial position is actually improving after last year's credit crunch caused MyPillow to lose one of its major advertising platforms and exit several national retailers, disrupting its cash flow.
“We'll be fine,” he said.
Last month, Lindell said a federal judge granted a $5 million arbitration award to a software engineer who challenged data proving that China interfered in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and tipped the outcome to Joe Biden. I faced setbacks because of this. Lindell confirmed in January that Fox News stopped airing commercials for MyPillow amid a billing dispute.
Lindell acknowledged Wednesday that MyPillow owes Delaware-based First Industrial LP about $217,000 in rent for its Shakopee facility. He said My Pillow no longer needed the space and removed its remaining assets from the warehouse last June, then subleased the space to another company until December.
Another company was scheduled to begin subleasing the space in January, but pulled out and “left us all stranded,” he said. My Pillow offered to find another tenant, but the landlord simply wanted to take back control of the warehouse instead, he said. The $217,000 is unpaid rent for January and February. He also said MyPillow continues to rent space elsewhere.
The Star Tribune reported that a Scott County judge held a hearing Tuesday on the warehouse owner's request to formally evict My Pillow, but did not object to the landlord's request.
According to the newspaper's report, attorney Sarah Filo, who is representing First Industrial, said at the hearing, “My Pillow has more or less decided to vacate, but we want to get this right.'' Ta. “At this time, there is a representation that no further payments will be made under this lease, so we would like to move forward with our search for a new tenant.”
Judge Caroline Lennon filed the eviction order on Wednesday.
Lindell continues to spread former President Donald Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen in part by a fraudulent voting machine system, and he still faces defamation lawsuits from two voting machine companies. The lawyers who originally represented him in these cases resigned over his unpaid bills.
