Attorneys for MyPillow and its CEO Mike Lindell seek to quit election-related cases over millions owed

The law firm defending MyPillow and its CEO, Mike Lindell, in multiple election-related defamation cases wants to withdraw from the job, saying its attorneys are owed millions of dollars in unpaid legal fees and Lindell can't pay.

Andrew Parker, an attorney and owner with the law firm of Parker Daniels Kibort, asked a federal judge to approve the firm's withdrawal in a motion filed Thursday in U.S. District Court.

The attorney says payments from Lindell started to slow in 2023. By May, the firm was receiving only partial payments — and no payments have been made for legal work done in July or August.

According to Parker's motion, Lindell told the firm this week that he can't catch up or "make any payment on the large amount they owe in arrears nor pay for anywhere near the estimated expense of continuing to defend against the lawsuits going forward."

In an interview with the Star Tribune, Parker said it was a difficult decision to ask to leave the case. "This is a very important First Amendment constitutional case that should be decided in the courts," he said.

The Smartmatic and Dominion voting machine companies are each suing Lindell and MyPillow for more than $1 billion, claiming they were harmed by Lindell's debunked allegations of election fraud. The MyPillow CEO has repeatedly made the false claim that the companies rigged machines in favor of Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Lindell has denied their defamation claims.

The law firm is also representing Lindell in another defamation suit brought by former Dominion employee Eric Coomer.

The inability to cover legal fees is the latest financial challenge for Lindell, whose Chaska-based MyPillow recently auctioned off hundreds of pieces of equipment and started subleasing some of its manufacturing space.

Lindell said the company has lost $100 million in annual revenue after major retailers such as Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond and Slumberland Furniture said they will no longer sell MyPillow products in their stores. The company moved to direct sales after shopping networks also dropped its products. Lindell said recently on Steve Bannon's "War Room" podcast that American Express also slashed the company's credit line to $100,000.

The attorneys added that they've provided Lindell with many "litigation administration tasks and obligations," including producing hundreds of thousands of pages of documents and defending him in "many hours" of depositions.

If it continued with the cases, the 16-employee law firm based in Minneapolis would be forced to fund litigation, personnel and payroll costs, which will "amount to millions of dollars in addition to the millions of dollars already owed," according to the motion.

Forcing the lawyers to work to the "conclusion of this billion-dollar litigation would place [the firm] in serious financial risk," it continues.

Parker notes in the motion that Lindell is aware of the move to withdraw from the case and is in the process of finding new counsel.

A judge will need to approve the attorneys' withdrawal, but no court date has been set.