Main: In this Aug. 30, 2018, file photo, Eric Coomer from Dominion Voting demonstrates his company”s touchscreen tablet in Grovetown, Ga. (Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File). Right inset: Attorneys Charlie Cain and Peter Ticktin pictured during Jan. 27, 2026, encounter (X/@BiggerTruth).
In an unusual turn of events, a federal judge has stepped in to calm tensions in the heated defamation lawsuit involving a former Dominion Voting Systems employee in Florida. Following reports of a physical altercation during a deposition, the judge has warned that sanctions could be imposed on anyone who appears armed at future proceedings.
The lawsuit, filed by Eric Coomer, is directed against Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock. Coomer accuses Byrne of spreading false claims about his involvement in allegedly manipulating the 2020 presidential election results to the detriment of then-President Donald Trump.
What was intended to be a routine deposition in late January quickly escalated into a confrontation between Coomer’s attorney, Charlie Cain, and Byrne’s lawyer, Peter Ticktin. The altercation took place at a Courtyard by Marriott in Tampa, disrupting the proceedings.
Several witness statements suggest that Ticktin was the aggressor, reportedly pushing Cain. In defense, Ticktin allegedly made derogatory remarks about Cain, calling him a “lying sleazebag” and attributing his actions to “daddy issues.”
The deposition was further complicated by the presence of right-wing podcaster Joe Oltmann, which Coomer’s attorney objected to. Oltmann has a controversial history, having reportedly called for Coomer’s death multiple times and claimed to always carry a gun.
An image of Joe Oltmann holding a gun (court documents).
Coomer’s legal team argues that Oltmann’s unexpected presence was an act of intimidation, given his past advocacy for violence against Coomer. The defense is accused of leveraging Oltmann’s presence to unsettle Coomer, thus derailing the deposition process.
Shortly thereafter, the plaintiff said, Ticktin shoved Cain out in an open area of the hotel where multiple people were present.
UNBELIEVABLE. Video taken from court filings shows Peter Ticktin and Patrick Byrne both allegedly shoving Eric Coomer’s attorney, Charlie Cain, prior to a recent deposition in a Florida hotel.
This is just the tip of the lunatic iceberg from these filings. More tomorrow.
Did… pic.twitter.com/e2K0YQKRRU
— Scott McMahan (@BiggerTruth) February 10, 2026
“Responding to Ticktin’s shouting, Plaintiff’s counsel said, ‘Look, Peter, you can’t intimidate me.’ Plaintiff’s counsel began following Ticktin toward the conference room (as Ticktin requested) when Ticktin suddenly turned around and shoved him,” said a sanctions motion over the “assault and battery.”
The court filing additionally accused Byrne of shoving “Plaintiff’s counsel on approximately three occasions in an alcove in the conference room,” by “striking” the lawyer “with his elbow/forearm and by falling into him with his side and back to initiate contact.”
Coomer, who alleges that Byrne is “responsible for or liable in connection” with Oltmann’s claims in the film “The Deep Rig,” went on to testify that day for seven hours, “[d]espite these extreme conditions,” the motion added.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Barber, a Trump appointee, responded on May 28 by ordering that “no party or witness in this case is permitted to bring any type of weapon to a deposition, mediation, or meeting of parties and/or counsel relating to this case.”
The judge then went into specifics about weapon types, threatening sanctions for future violations.
“This prohibition includes but is not limited to any type of firearm, knife or similar sharp object, mace or similar product, and sap or blackjack or similar object. This prohibition applies regardless of any type of license or permit for the weapon,” Barber said. “Violation of this Order will result in the imposition of sanctions.”
This is only one of several lawsuits Coomer has filed against a who’s who of election deniers, beginning in December 2020. From the start, he said Oltmann “fabricated” a story that he infiltrated “an Antifa conference call” and heard Coomer say “[d]on’t worry about the election, Trump is not gonna win. I made f-ing sure of that.”
Coomer brought a federal lawsuit in Colorado that ended in 2025 with a jury finding MyPillow CEO Lindell liable for defamation, a result that Oltmann still saw as favorable.
After Lindell labeled him a “traitor” and a “criminal,” Coomer testified, death threats “upended” his life and derailed his career as a director of product strategy and security at Dominion. The voting machine company is now under new ownership and operating under the name Liberty Vote.
