A U.S. appeals court has overturned a $5 million arbitration award against Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow and a prominent ally of former President Donald Trump. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis ruled Wednesday that an arbitration panel misapplied contest rules in a challenge Lindell organized to prove his 2020 election fraud claims.
The ruling reverses a lower federal court decision that had previously upheld the award to software developer Robert Zeidman, who argued he successfully debunked Lindell’s data regarding alleged foreign interference in the election won by President Joe Biden.
Zeidman’s attorney criticized the decision, saying it contradicts the unanimous findings of three arbitrators who reviewed the evidence. Lindell hailed the outcome as “a great day for America,” emphasizing his continued push for election security. MyPillow’s general counsel highlighted the rarity of courts reversing arbitration awards.
The dispute stems from Lindell’s 2021 “Prove Mike Wrong” challenge, which offered $5 million to anyone who could prove that 11 data files he presented were unrelated to the 2020 election. Arbitrators initially sided with Zeidman, but the appellate judges found they improperly altered the contest’s contractual terms, which cannot be modified by courts or panels.
Lindell remains a key figure in promoting unproven claims of widespread election fraud, which have been repeatedly rejected by U.S. courts. The case underscores the legal complexities surrounding challenges to the 2020 election and the broader debates on electoral integrity in the United States.