Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow.com and a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump, is appealing a $5 million arbitration award to software developer Robert Zeidman. Zeidman reportedly debunked Lindell’s allegations of election fraud in 2020.
Lindell’s legal team contended that the arbitration panel for the “Prove Mike Wrong” challenge acted beyond its authority by focusing on data rather than the substantive nature of the fraud claims.
Lindell’s attorney, Douglas Wardlow, said, “We don’t want to send a signal that arbitrators can do whatever they want.”
On the other hand, Zeidman’s attorney, Gregory Porter, argued that “as long as the arbitrators are even arguably interpreting a contract, the award must be affirmed.”
The appeals panel questioned the scope of the arbitrators’ authority, considering whether they deviated from the essence of the contract.
In 2021, Lindell had initiated the challenge as a means to prove that Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump was due to foreign interference.
Contestants were asked to disprove claims based on 11 files provided by Lindell. Although the arbitration did not declare an outright winner, Zeidman successfully argued his case in 2023.
Lindell’s appeal follows a trial judge’s confirmation of the arbitration panel’s ruling, with Wardlow claiming that the arbitrators exceeded their powers.
