In August 2021, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell offered a $5 million reward to anyone who could prove that the data he had did not prove that the November 2020 election was fraudulent. Lindell claimed that his data proved that China had interfered in the 2020 Presidential elections. Lindell’s “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge” backfired, and he is now being sued by Software Expert Bob Zeidman to pay the reward Lindell had promised if someone could win the challenge.
Zeidman himself had supported Donald Trump in the 2020 elections, but wanted to see the proof that the election had been tampered with his own eyes. Prior to entering the contest, Zeidman believed that Lindell would have vetted the data beforehand. Instead, Zeidman proved that the data Lindell had produced was not election data at all. Zeidman asked for his reward, which Lindell refused to pay.
In April 2023, an arbitration panel had ordered Lindell to pay the $5 million as promised to Zeidman. The arbitration panel was made up of three arbitrators, one hired by Lindell, the second hired by Zeidman, and a neutral arbitrator agreed upon by both men. The arbitration found 3-0 in favor of Zeidman.
Still, Lindell did not pay. Instead, Lindell filed an appeal to the federal court in October 2023. Judge John Tunheim heard the arguments and then, in February 2024, ruled in Zeidman’s favor. Judge Tunheim questioned whether he would have ruled the same way as the arbitrators, but given the binding nature of arbitration, Judge Tunheim determined he could not overrule the arbitrators.
Undeterred, Lindell appealed the decision to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. In July 2025, the 8th Circuit issued a ruling overturning the lower court and arbitration decision. The 8th Circuit believed that Zeidman was required to prove that the information was not related to the 2020 election. Lindell’s lawyers claimed, and the 8th Circuit believed, that Zeidman had only proved that the electronic data was present on the internet rather than proving that the data was not related to the election. Zeidman now appeals the ruling to the United States Supreme Court.
What Is Arbitration?
Arbitration is a legal process where both sides have their legal disputes heard by a neutral third person (or persons). Arbitrators hear the evidence and arguments and make a binding decision on all parties. Effectively, arbitrators are private judges.
Arbitration is binding and typically non-appealable because of the Federal Arbitratio
Arbitration is often preferred over regular lawsuits because arbitration is typically final – there is no right to appeal an arbitration. Since the decision is supposed to be binding and final, parties, in theory, save time and money rather than go through a seemingly endless appeal process.
Many parties select arbitrators based on expertise in a given field. For instance, if Tesla and Toyota have a dispute over a car manufacturing deal, they can hire an arbitrator who knows more about automobiles than an average civil court judge.
The Supreme Court Should Uphold the Arbitration Award
Congress has long since made the determination that arbitration is preferable to litigation if the parties agree to arbitration beforehand. The 8th Circuit may have disagreed with the arbitrators about the merits of the case, but under the FAA, the 8th Circuit should have deferred to the arbitrators as the trial court did.
If voters like Lindell don’t want arbitration to be mandatory, they should ask Congress to repeal the FAA rather than appeal to the courts. The Supreme Court has been consistent on this stance for decades, especially since the FAA is an act of Congress and not just a Supreme Court interpretation.
Do I Need a Lawyer for My Contract Issues?
If you have any issues or simply wish for a lawyer to review a contract before you sign it, it may be helpful to contact a contract lawyer. Your lawyer can help with drafting, reviewing, or filing a lawsuit to enforce the contract and can represent you in court.