Attorney Sidney Powell on Friday was sued for defamation by Dominion Voting Systems for $1.3 billion for alleging the company’s tabulating machines were used to flip votes from President Trump to Joe Biden.
Dominion CEO John Poulos said on a call with reporters Friday morning that the “recent attacks on the democratic process are not singular or isolated events.”
“They are the result of a deliberate and malicious campaign of lies over many months,” he said, according to The Hill. “Sidney Powell and others created and disseminated these lies, assisted and amplified by a range of media platforms.”
Powell said via Twitter on Friday that Dominion’s suit “is baseless & filed to harass, intimidate, & to drain our resources as we seek the truth of #DominionVotingSystems’ role in this fraudulent election.”
“We will not be cowed in exercising our 1st Amendment rights or seeking truth,” she said.
Poulos charged that “lies” that were told about government election officials, election workers and Dominion Voting Systems” “have consequences.”
“They have served to diminish the credibility of U.S. elections. They have subjected officials and Dominion employees to harassment and death threats,” he said. “They have severely damaged the reputation of our company. Today is just the first step to restore our good name, and faith in elections by holding those responsible to account.”
In a defamation case, Dominion must prove the falsity of the statements. Allaw.com noted truth is an “absolute defense” in such claims, and pretrial discovery in the case will enable Powell to question Dominion official under oath and obtain evidence.
The Dominion system, while used in 28 states, was rejected by Texas officials due to concerns about security and accuracy.
NPR said many analysts “have wondered whether the company would be able to survive after the onslaught of accusations by the Trump campaign.”
“Even if the allegations appear ridiculous, the company’s fate still is complicated if Republican elected officials become torn about engaging with a vendor that Trump and his supporters have tarred,” NPR said.
In the NPR report, Joe Kiniry, who runs the vote technology group Free & Fair, said, “When you run out of gas in this industry, it’s either because you run out of cash or you run out of reputation.”
Dominion claimed it would lose $200 million in profits over the coming five years as a result of Powell’s charges.
Dominion’s Poulos said the lives of his company’s workers have been “upended” by the accusations.
The complaint alleges company employees and other election officials have been threatened because of Powell’s statements.
Dominion executive Eric Coomer told Colorado Public Radio he was in hiding and “actually am in fear for my safety.”
Coomer, the director of strategy and security for Dominion, previously sued Powell over her statements.
Lawyers.com pointed out that if the case progresses, both sides will be required to respond “truthfully and in writing” to questions from the other side.
The company said it has “mountains” of evidence against Powell, and is taking the action because officials in a number of states — including Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Michigan — have stated their intent to review their agreements with Dominion.
The New York Post reported Dominion previously warned Powell it would sue if she continued to make the allegations.
The report said Dominion spent $565,000 hiring security and spent another $1.1 million to “mitigate the harm to its reputation.”
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