In August 2021, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell staged an election fraud event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he publicized an illicit violation of Colorado voting machines. During the event, Lindell challenged experts to debunk his proposition that the 2020 election was manipulated via hacked voting machines in his “Prove Mike Wrong Contest”, putting $5 million on the line.
Software developer Robert Zeidman scrutinized Lindell’s digital evidence and revealed that none of it was the promised packet capture data which would signify internet traffic between voting machines and alleged hackers. Zeidman demanded his prize but was denied by the three-judge panel, leading him to contest the decision through arbitration.
In April 2023, the arbitrators reached a unanimous agreement asserting Lindell’s data was faulty, ordering him to pay Zeidman within 30 days. Lindell protested the decision and vowed to take the dispute to court.
Despite arbitration awards being nearly impossible to overturn, by May, the parties were battling in the Minneapolis courtroom of US District Judge John Tunheim. Ultimately, the judge maintained the arbitrators’ ruling, expressing that ″where parties agree to arbitrate, a court cannot substitute a judicial determination for the arbitratorʼs decision″. He further noted that Lindell’s data did not meet the terms of the Federal Arbitration Act, which stipulates a ruling can only be overturned on the grounds of corruption, fraud, or undue means.
However, Judge Tunheim hinted that he may have interpreted the data differently than the arbitrators. He admitted that due to the ambiguity of the contract terms, he may have reached a different conclusion regarding Lindell’s data, if he was reviewing the case de novo. Despite his reservations about the ruling, the judge confirmed he would not change the arbitration award.
Lindell now has 30 days to pay the $5 million, plus accruing interest since April 19, 2023. Otherwise, he can appeal to the Eighth Circuit and seek a stay pending review. Those interested in further details about the case can access the docket via Court Listener.