Trump supporter and MyPillow founder Michael Lindell speaks with the media at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on June 13, 2023, in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Mike Lindell, the CEO of bedding company MyPillow and an ally of former President Donald Trump, has to pay $5 million to a man who debunked Lindell’s false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, following a failed attempt to get out of doing so.
In 2021, Lindell hosted a contest called the “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge,” promising $5 million to anyone who could disprove Lindell’s claims that Chinese interference played a role in the 2020 election. Robert Zeidman, a computer forensics expert and Trump supporter, submitted a 15-page report proving Lindell’s assertions were false.
The American Arbitration Association’s commercial arbitration tribunal ruled last April that Lindell had to pay Zeidman the money. Lindell challenged the ruling, but the arbiters decided to uphold it, according to a document filed Wednesday.
Zeidman told The Washington Post in April that he was “really happy” with the initial decision. “They clearly saw this as I did — that the data we were given at the symposium was not at all what Mr. Lindell said it was,” Zeidman said. “The truth is finally out there.”
Zeidman’s attorney, Brian Glasser, told HuffPost in an email that he and his client are pleased with this week’s decision.
“We are thrilled by this decision and look forward to beginning collection efforts if payment is not promptly forthcoming,” Glasser wrote. “This decision gives us that collection power.”
Lindell’s attorneys filed a motion in October to withdraw from their role because Lindell was behind on payments to the law firm.
Lindell has been a vocal supporter of Trump and has spread conspiracy theories about supposed election fraud, including that voting machines were rigged in 2020 and were changing votes for Trump to votes for Joe Biden. The voting machine manufacturer Dominion has sued Lindell, seeking $1.3 billion in damages.
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