Mike Lindell is no longer liable for $5 million prize settlement in “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge” related to August 2021 Cyber Symposium. Robert Zeidman filed suit against Lindell Management LLC (LMC), a company owned by Mike Lindell when his claim for the prize was rejected. The case progressed through arbitration, a federal district court, a federal appeals court, and concluded with a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The central conflict revolved around the interpretation of the challenge’s official rules. An arbitration panel initially awarded Zeidman the $5 million prize, finding he had successfully proven that data provided by LMC was not “related to the November 2020 election.” However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ultimately vacated this award. The appellate court ruled that the arbitrators exceeded their authority by using extrinsic evidence—such as promotional materials—to add a requirement that the data must be “packet capture data,” a term not present in the unambiguous official rules.
This action, the court found, constituted a manifest disregard for Minnesota contract law, which prohibits using external evidence to interpret a clear contract.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case, cementing the appellate court’s decision and voiding the $5 million award to Zeidman.