A federal judge on Wednesday confirmed that MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's company must pay a $5 million arbitration award to a software developer who disputed data that Lindell said supports allegations of election interference in the 2020 election.
The Associated Press reported that Lindell said he planned to appeal the ruling. When asked if Lindell could afford the huge sum, Lindell noted that the breach of contract was not against him personally but against one of his companies, Lindell Management LLC, the AP noted.
“Of course we will appeal it. This guy doesn't have a dime,” Lindell said, according to the AP.
Lindell, a Trump supporter who has promoted false claims about the 2020 election, launched the “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge” in August 2021 as part of his “webinar.” During this challenge, he offered $5 million through Lindell Management to anyone who could prove that the “packet capture” and other data he collected was invalid.
Lindell had claimed the data proved Chinese interference in the 2020 election. Software developer Robert Zeldman entered the contest by submitting a 15-page report concluding that Lindell's data did not include information related to the 2020 election. Zeldman then filed an arbitration claim when Lindell's team said he did not win. With the competition.
Lindell was first ordered to pay a $5 million award to Zeldman by a three-arbitrator panel last April. Wednesday to rule U.S. District Judge John Tunheim noted that courts have only limited authority when it comes to arbitration disputes, but he ordered Lindell to pay the award with interest within 30 days of the order.
“The court’s responsibility in reviewing an arbitration award is not to re-evaluate the merits, but to ensure that the panel acted appropriately. “Lindell LLC’s only basis for the court’s action was that the panel acted outside the scope of its authority in making the award,” it said. In governance.
“Although the court may have reached a different conclusion in light of its initial independent review of the information, the court failed to identify evidence suggesting that the panel exceeded its authority. Under the court's narrow review, it would affirm the arbitration award.
The Hill has reached out to Lindell's legal team for further comment.
The Associated Press contributed.
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