Attorneys for former Dominion executive Eric Coomer have filed a motion for a “show cause” hearing for Douglas County podcaster Joe Oltmann, which could result in additional contempt charges and arrest if Oltmann refuses to comply.
Earlier this month Oltmann was found in civil contempt and ordered to pay Coomer $1,000 a day until he complied with the court’s order to reveal the source of his “antifa conference call” after Oltmann abruptly fled a June 6 deposition as part of Coomer’s lawsuit against ReAwaken America Tour founder Clay Clark.
Since the Sept. 4 contempt order, Oltmann has publicly stated on his Conservative Daily podcast that he would not pay the fines. A GiveSendGo fundraiser organized by Oltmann’s daughter has raised over $14,000.
“I’ll be damned if I’m going to write a check to that piece of shit, who is a lying scumbag, who has done everything he can to keep everyone silent,” said Oltmann during a Sept. 5 episode.
As a result of the Sept. 4 order, Oltmann owes $18,494 in fees and $2,556 in costs, on top of the over $20,000 he’s incurred from the daily fine.
“Mr. Oltmann has publicly and unequivocally expressed his intent not to comply with the Order and has not, in fact, complied,” reads the motion filed yesterday. “Additionally, Mr. Oltmann has publicly expressed his disdain for the orderly administration of justice and for the judicial system. Like many of his contemporaries, Mr. Oltmann seeks notoriety and national publicity through baseless election fraud claims, bombastic threats, and calls to violence … As a result, more stringent and coercive measures are necessary to ensure compliance. Mr. Oltmann has already paid in excess of $50,000 in sanctions for the same conduct in related proceeding Coomer v. Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. et. al. He has publicly indicated his disdain for the Court’s inherent powers. The penalties assessed to this point, though substantial, have failed to alter his conduct in any meaningful way. Instead, Mr. Oltmann is now trying to shift the consequences of his contempt to his supporters to avoid accountability for his actions. He is doing so by mischaracterizing the history of these proceedings and by recasting his past subterfuge by stating his non-compliance is a selfless act necessary to protect individuals who would be attacked by Dr. Coomer or his lawyers. Mr. Oltmann makes these claims even though Judge Starnella had previously ordered that his deposition and documentation to be produced would be considered ‘Attorneys Eyes Only’ under the current protective order.”
Coomer’s attorneys ask that Oltmann be ordered to appear before the judge to show cause as to why he should not be held in contempt, that he be ordered to produce the previously ordered documents at the show cause hearing and to testify in court regarding the source of the “antifa conference call,” that he be ordered to pay all fines, and that the show cause hearing be conducted in open court. Should Oltmann fail to appear or refuse to comply with the court’s orders, Coomer’s attorneys ask that he be arrested.
Oltmann made his contested claims about Coomer participating in an “antifa conference call” shortly after the 2020 election and subsequently appeared an a variety of right-wing podcasts and radio shows, including former KNUS host and Republican National Committeeman Randy Corporon’s. Many of the outlets that hosted Oltmann, like Corporon and KNUS, are currently defendants in defamation suits brought by Coomer.
High-profile entities like Fox News, One America News Network, and Newsmax, as well as individuals like Sidney Powell, the famed “kraken lawyer,” have settled their lawsuits with Coomer or his former employer, Dominion Voting Systems. Coomer’s lawsuits have ensnared numerous figures from the election denial movement, including former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne. Other “election integrity activists,” like former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, have faced criminal charges for their efforts to prove fraud in the 2020 election, or for their role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, which was inspired in part by “election integrity” rhetoric. Those who haven’t been charged with crimes or named in civil suits are now trying to distance themselves from their connections to the “Stop the Steal” movement.
“I had no reason to believe that Joe Oltmann’s claims were true,” said former General Michael Flynn, a leading figure in QAnon and election denial circles, during an April deposition for the Clark case. “And I guess the reverse — the reverse of that is I had no reason to believe that they weren’t. I mean, I just don’t — I don’t recall.”
Read the full motion here:
