U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols held MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell in civil contempt of court after he claimed an "inability to pay" voting machine company Smartmatic sanctions over frivolous claims about the 2020 presidential election.
In February, Smartmatic asked Nichols to sanction Lindell after he declined to pay $56,639 for over a year, despite the judge ordering him to.
"His filing represents the latest iteration of a delay tactic spanning nearly five years. This is not an inability to pay. It is a calculated refusal to pay. Only the threat of contempt will move him to comply," Smartmatic told the judge at the time.
Nichols had threatened "further contempt sanctions" if the sum was not paid.
On Tuesday, the judge followed through by holding Lindell in civil contempt in a sealed order, Law and Crime reported. It was not immediately clear what additional sanctions the pillow CEO would face.
For his part, Lindell has claimed an "inability to pay" the voting machine company. Smartmatic, however, noted that Lindell's legal defense fund had raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and chose to spend $187,037.80 to buy copies of his own book.
"Only the threat of contempt will move him to comply," Smartmatic's attorneys argued.
The voting machine company asked for a "daily penalty" until Lindell complied with his obligations.