Federal Judge Upholds $5 Million Arbitration Award Against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell

In a major blow to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a federal judge has affirmed a $5 million arbitration award against him in favor of a software engineer who debunked Lindell's claims of election fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Lindell had launched a challenge called the "Prove Mike Wrong Challenge" as part of a “Cyber Symposium” he hosted in August 2021, offering a $5 million reward for anyone who could prove that the data he released was not valid.

Robert Zeidman, a computer forensics expert, entered the challenge and concluded that the data provided by Lindell did not contain any information related to the 2020 election. Despite this, Lindell and the contest judges refused to declare Zeidman a winner, leading Zeidman to seek arbitration. The panel of arbitrators unanimously ordered Lindell to pay Zeidman $5 million, a decision that was upheld by U.S. District Judge John Tunheim.

Lindell, who has been a prominent promoter of false claims of election fraud, said he plans to appeal the ruling. However, he admitted that he and his company, MyPillow, are struggling financially. MyPillow ads have been pulled from Fox News due to a payment dispute, and Lindell is facing a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems. Two law firms representing him in the case have quit due to non-payment.

Despite his financial troubles, Lindell remains defiant, insisting that he has "done nothing wrong" and vowing to continue his legal battles. It remains to be seen how he will navigate the challenges ahead as he grapples with mounting legal fees and dwindling resources.