A federal judge on Friday sanctioned MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for what the judge called "frivolous" claims against Smartmatic Corp.

Driving the news: "The Court agrees with Smartmatic that Lindell has asserted at least some groundless claims," U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols wrote in the ruling.

• "In particular, the Court concludes that at the very least Lindell’s claim against Smartmatic under the Support or Advocacy Clause falls on the frivolous side of the line (other claims do too)," he wrote.
• "As a result, the Court orders Lindell and his previous counsel to pay some of the fees and costs Smartmatic has incurred defending itself and moving for sanctions."
• The judge also granted motions from Smartmatic, Dominion Voting Systems and Hamilton Place to dismiss the lawsuits against them, per the filing.

The big picture: Lindell filed his counter-suit after Dominion Voting Systems Inc. and Smartmatic sued him for defamation over his election-fraud claims.

• Lindell told Bloomberg News that he is still deciding whether he will appeal.
• He's currently challenging the use of Dominion and Smartmatic voting machines across the U.S., he said.
• "Whatever the judge thinks, that’s his opinion," Lindell said. "I’ve got lawyers doing more important things like removing these machines from every state."