Eric Coomer, an employee of Colorado-based Dominion Voting Systems who has been the target of conspiracy theories, filed a defamation lawsuit Tuesday against 14 defendants, including President Donald Trump’s campaign.
Filed in Denver, the 52-page lawsuit details baseless allegations made against Coomer and threats to his life. Coomer, the company’s director of product safety and security, left his home and has been living in an undisclosed location.
“Without concern for the truth or the consequences of their reckless conduct, defendants branded Dr. Coomer a traitor to the United States, a terrorist and a criminal of the highest order,” the lawsuit states.
Defendants in the lawsuit include the Trump campaign and its top lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, as well as former campaign lawyer Sidney Powell and her law firm. Also included are a list of conservative media personalities and outlets, including Castle Rock resident Joe Oltmann, an activist who has accused Coomer of treason.
Oltmann is at the center of the alleged defamation. His claim, without evidence, that Coomer promised left wing activists Trump would lose the election has made Coomer a villain in the eyes of the Trump campaign and in right wing media outlets, according to the lawsuit.
“I welcome it,” Oltmann said of Coomer’s lawsuit. “Everything I said was absolutely true, without exception. He thinks I am going to back down? I won’t.”
Outlets being sued are Conservative Daily, which is Oltmann’s podcast; The Gateway Pundit blog and its founder, Jim Hoft; One America News Network and one of its employees, Chanel Rion; and Newsmax.
In addition to defamation, the lawsuit accuses Oltmann of attempting to incite violence against Coomer, quoting an Oltmann social media post from Dec. 14 that mentions Coomer: “They certify this election and we go to war.”
The lawsuit also cites a long list of social media posts about Coomer that followed Oltmann’s allegations: “This man will be dead within two weeks,” “no rest for this (expletive),” “come clean and you will live.” One post claimed there is a large cash reward for Coomer’s location. Another told of a manhunt in his hometown.
Coomer’s lawsuit asks a federal judge to order the defendants to stop making violent remarks about Coomer and to remove any defamatory allegations from their outlets. It also seeks damages that will be determined later.
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