Judge orders Mike Lindell to pay $5M to man who debunked his election fraud claims
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's false and repeatedly debunked claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former president Donald Trump has brought him some major legal headaches, including defamation lawsuits from Dominion Voting Systems and its competitor Smartmatic. Nonetheless, the far-right MAGA Republican remains a staunch Trump loyalist, claiming without evidence that President Joe Biden never should have been inaugurated on January 20, 2021.
Lindell suffered another legal setback on Wednesday when a judge ordered him to pay $5 million to a Nevada man who debunked his bogus claim that Chinese interference in 2020 helped Biden steal the election.
When Lindell held a cyber symposium in South Dakota in August 2021, he issued a "Prove Mike Wrong" challenge and offered to pay $5 million to anyone who could disprove his China claims. And 64-year-old Robert Zeidman, a Nevada-based computer forensics specialist, says he did exactly that.
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Lindell has tried to get out of paying Zeidman the $5 million, but Judge John Tunheim ordered him to pay that amount plus interest.
Zeidman, according to the Washington Post, isn't sure he will be able to collect the money, as Lindell can appeal Tunheim's decision. But he is still glad he took the "Prove Mike Wrong" challenge and disproved Lindell's China/2020 election claim.
Zeidman told the Post, "Getting the truth out is the most important thing…. I thought it would be fun and exciting to be part of it. I didn't expect that I'd be the one so wrapped up in it and coming to the conclusion that I did."
Post reporter Praveena Somasundaram notes that Zeidman, after finding "that the data did not prove election interference," put together "a 15-page report of his findings and sent a letter to Lindell's firm asking for the reward."
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"(Zeidman) filed for arbitration the next month after Lindell Management denied his payment request, and a private arbitration panel ruled that Zeidman — the only participant who had submitted a claim — proved that the data was not related to the 2020 election," Somasundaram explains. "The panel required Lindell Management to pay Zeidman within 30 days. The payment never arrived, and in May 2023, Zeidman asked a federal court to confirm his arbitration award."
The Post reporter adds, "Shortly after, Lindell filed for its dismissal. But the chances of a confirmation were in Zeidman's favor, said his attorney, Brian Glasser."
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Read the Washington Post's full report at this link (subscription required).
