A federal judge has ruled that Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, is required to pay $5 million as part of a dispute over election data.
Time Stamp: 10:38
On Wednesday, a federal judge upheld a $5 million arbitration decision against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. The award was in favor of a software engineer who disputed Lindell’s claims that data showed China meddled in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and influenced the victory of Joe Biden.
Lindell stated his intention to file an appeal. When asked about his ability to make payment, he clarified that the lawsuit for breach of contract was directed towards his company, Lindell Management LLC, rather than himself personally.
Lindell stated that they will definitely file an appeal, as the individual does not deserve any compensation.
Mike Lindell, who has been denying the results of the election, also known as the “MyPillow Guy”, has stated that he is currently unable to cover his legal expenses.
Lindell, a well-known advocate of unfounded allegations that voting machines were tampered with to sway the outcome of the 2020 election, initiated his “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge” during a “Cyber Symposium” held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in August 2021. As part of this event, Lindell promised a prize of $5 million through Lindell Management to anyone who could disprove the authenticity of the “packet captures” and other data he presented from the November 2020 election.
Robert Zeidman submitted a 15-page report for the challenge, which stated that the data from Lindell did not include any packet data or information about the November 2020 election. Despite having a Lindell attorney on the panel of judges, Zeidman was not declared the winner. As a result, he filed for arbitration in accordance with the contest rules.
In April, a group of three judges decided unanimously that Lindell must give Zeidman $5 million as he followed the contest regulations. In the latest decision on Wednesday, Judge John Tunheim of the U.S. District Court expressed worry about how the judges understood the contract, which he described as “poorly written.” However, he stated that courts have minimal power to overturn arbitration decisions. He instructed Lindell to pay the amount with interest within 30 days.
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Mike Lindell claims that MyPillow suffered a loss of $100 million due to his accusations of election fraud. He maintains that he has not committed any wrongdoing.
Lindell is currently facing a $1.3 billion defamation case from Dominion Voting Systems in Washington D.C. for his baseless claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. He is also being sued for defamation in Minnesota by another voting machine company, Smartmatic.
Lindell has conceded that he and MyPillow are struggling financially
Fox News, a major platform for his advertisements, ceased airing MyPillow commercials in January due to an unresolved payment disagreement. In the past, two law firms had been representing him in lawsuits against Dominion and Smartmatic, but they withdrew their services last autumn. He admitted owing them millions of dollars.
Lindell stated that due to lost sales, MyPillow is unable to make payments and he personally does not have the means to borrow money to pay the attorneys. He clarified that he currently only has $10,000 in his possession.
Additionally, MyPillow auctioned off
There are over 700 items of company equipment, including forklifts, office desks, and cubicles.
At the time the strong demand for GPT
According to Lindell, the GPT auction indicated a high level of demand.
MyPillow had to swiftly shift its sales strategy from relying on big box and mall stores to adopting a direct-to-consumer approach. This decision was prompted by the “cancellation” of their product by retailers like Walmart and Bed Bath & Beyond, leaving the company with a significant amount of inventory to manage.
Source: cbsnews.com