Dominion sues Trump lawyer Sidney Powell for defamation

Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against lawyer Sidney Powell on Friday, seeking at least $1.3 billion for Powell's “wild accusations” that company rigged presidential election for Joe Biden.

“Dominion brings this action to set record straight,” company said in suit filed in federal court in Washington.

Powell has for weeks claimed without evidence that election techlogy vendor, whose vote-counting equipment was used in several states, was part of a scheme to steal election from President Donald Trump. Powell has been representing Trump in a series of unsuccessful lawsuits filed to contest election outcome.

She has claimed that company was created in Venezuela to rig elections for late leader Hugo Chavez and that it has ability to switch votes.

re was widespread fraud in election, which a range of election officials across country including Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have confirmed. Republican goverrs in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Biden’s victory, also vouched for integrity of elections in ir states. Nearly all legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-minated justices.

company said re “re are mountains of direct evidence that conclusively disprove Powell’s vote manipulation claims against Dominion — namely, millions of paper ballots that were audited and recounted by bipartisan officials and volunteers in Georgia and or swing states, which confirmed that Dominion accurately counted votes on paper ballots."

Dominion said that when it formally told Powell her claims were false and asked her to retract m, she “doubled down,” using her Twitter account with more than 1 million followers to amplify claims.

Eric Coomer, Dominion's security director, already has sued Powell, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and president's campaign for defamation after he was driven into hiding by death threats. Conservative columnists and news outlets also were named in Coomer's lawsuit, filed in Colorado, where company is based.

Powell did t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.