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ificandream

(11,682 posts) Thu Jul 24, 2025, 01:25 PM Jul 2025

MyPillow Founder Will Not Pay Winnings for Election Challenge, Court Rules

Source: New York Times

By Ali Watkins
July 24, 2025, 11:49 a.m. ET

A federal appeals court has ruled that Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder, does not have to pay out $5 million to a software developer who had entered a challenge held by Mr. Lindell inviting skeptics to disprove his claims of interference in the 2020 presidential election.

An arbitration panel had previously ordered Mr. Lindell to pay the $5 million to Robert Zeidman, a software developer who entered Mr. Lindell’s “Prove Mike Wrong” challenge, which offered a $5 million reward to anyone who could debunk what Mr. Lindell called evidence of Chinese interference in the 2020 election.

The ruling, issued by an appeals court in Minnesota on Wednesday, signals the end of a yearslong back and forth between Mr. Lindell and Mr. Zeidman, whose battle over the Challenge reward grafts directly from Mr. Lindell’s yearslong, baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald J. Trump.

“It’s a great day for our country,” Mr. Lindell said in an interview.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/us/elections/mypillow-founder-challenge-winnings.html

19 replies

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MyPillow Founder Will Not Pay Winnings for Election Challenge, Court Rules (Original Post) ificandream Jul 2025 OP

Yes, any time you can go back on your promise Turbineguy Jul 2025 #1

SO CONTEST RULES DON'T MEAN ANYTHING? Jimvanhise Jul 2025 #2

I'll give a million doll hairs to anyone who can prove that's true JoseBalow Jul 2025 #5

Yeah...couldn't Powerball do the same? Mega Millions? Bengus81 Jul 2025 #6

Like he has the money anyway. That POS is broke and I hope he dies that way too. Bengus81 Jul 2025 #3

Was it up to Lindell to determine whether it was a full debunk or not? TheRickles Jul 2025 #4

From an archive: muriel_volestrangler Jul 2025 #7

Thanks. Sounds a little iffy on both sides. TheRickles Jul 2025 #9

So that's why Randi never had to pay? appmanga Jul 2025 #10

Yeah Really! Hieronymus Phact Jul 2025 #11

Randi's attempts to debunk parapsychology have come under a lot of criticism from serious researchers. TheRickles Jul 2025 #13

Article you provided is bunk VeryProgressive Jul 2025 #15

"Serious researchers" of the paranormal... appmanga Jul 2025 #16

Here are some FAQs from the Parapsychological Association TheRickles Jul 2025 #17

Here's the link to a downloadable Special Issue of the Journal of Parapsycholgy TheRickles Jul 2025 #18

What? VeryProgressive Jul 2025 #14

He's no gentleman Marthe48 Jul 2025 #8

Lindell remains a joke and is still going broke. oasis Jul 2025 #12

I Gotta Puke. BurnDoubt Jul 2025 #19

Turbineguy

(39,841 posts)

1. Yes, any time you can go back on your promise

Reply to ificandream (Original post)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 01:30 PM

Jul 2025

is a great day for the whole fucking country.

Jimvanhise

(563 posts)

2. SO CONTEST RULES DON'T MEAN ANYTHING?

Reply to ificandream (Original post)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 01:33 PM

Jul 2025

It is illegal to offer a prize and then not pay up. This makes no sense.

JoseBalow

(9,162 posts)

5. I'll give a million doll hairs to anyone who can prove that's true

Reply to Jimvanhise (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 01:50 PM

Jul 2025

Bengus81

(9,809 posts)

6. Yeah...couldn't Powerball do the same? Mega Millions?

Reply to Jimvanhise (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 01:52 PM

Jul 2025

Bengus81

(9,809 posts)

3. Like he has the money anyway. That POS is broke and I hope he dies that way too.

Reply to ificandream (Original post)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 01:38 PM

Jul 2025

TheRickles

(3,156 posts)

4. Was it up to Lindell to determine whether it was a full debunk or not?

Reply to ificandream (Original post)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 01:41 PM

Jul 2025

The NYT is behind a paywall, so I can't check for details, but I'm sure there was a loophole. Similar to The Amazing Randi never having to pay out the $1M prize for a genuine demonstrations of psychic phenomena, because he got to set all the criteria.

muriel_volestrangler

(105,557 posts)

7. From an archive:

Reply to TheRickles (Reply #4)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 02:00 PM

Jul 2025

The crux of Mr. Zeidman’s evidence was that Mr. Lindell’s supposed proof of election interference did not include voting machines’ packet capture data, which refers to a unique signature on original data that is transferred from a specific place and time.

However, in a ruling published on Wednesday, a panel of federal appeals judges found that, because Mr. Lindell’s rules for the challenge were written broadly, the evidence Mr. Zeidman presented debunking Mr. Lindell’s claims was not unequivocal.

“From the four corners of the Challenge contract as defined by the Official Rules, there is no way to read ‘information related to the November 2020 election’ as meaning only information that is packet capture data,” the ruling said.

https://archive.ph/wZYfM

I don't know if that helps; I can't be bothered to find Lindell's idiotic game "rules".

TheRickles

(3,156 posts)

9. Thanks. Sounds a little iffy on both sides.

Reply to muriel_volestrangler (Reply #7)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 02:41 PM

Jul 2025

appmanga

(1,381 posts)

10. So that's why Randi never had to pay?

Reply to TheRickles (Reply #4)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 02:47 PM

Jul 2025

Hmm, okay.

Hieronymus Phact

(721 posts)

11. Yeah Really!

Reply to appmanga (Reply #10)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 03:35 PM

Jul 2025

Glad someone said something!
I thought that was a cheap shot at the Amazing Randi.

TheRickles

(3,156 posts)

13. Randi's attempts to debunk parapsychology have come under a lot of criticism from serious researchers.

Reply to appmanga (Reply #10)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 05:03 PM

Jul 2025

Here is a good critique, with a section part way through on his million dollar challenge:
https://mitch-horowitz-nyc.medium.com/the-man-who-destroyed-skepticism-be35a6e5c5e4
"There is more to heaven and earth, Horatio..."

VeryProgressive

(77 posts)

15. Article you provided is bunk

Reply to TheRickles (Reply #13)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 06:27 PM

Jul 2025

That's it. That's the headline. Serious researchers? LOL.

appmanga

(1,381 posts)

16. "Serious researchers" of the paranormal...

Reply to TheRickles (Reply #13)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 06:38 PM

Jul 2025

...hits me like "serious scholars of Flat Earth". I love this excerpt:

Another case was Randi’s yearly “million-dollar challenge,” often held in Las Vegas, in which he tempted psychics with a cash prize. For years it was an annual charade to which virtually no serious observer or claimant would venture near.

If the discovery or claim stands up to the scientific method, it's proven. If such a thing could be demonstrated during Randi's lifetime, he would have suffered for not holding to his word and made into Randi stew.

And you can't "debunk" what's not true; you can debunk the claim and expose the lie. There's no debunking something that hasn't been proved to have happened.

TheRickles

(3,156 posts)

17. Here are some FAQs from the Parapsychological Association

Reply to appmanga (Reply #16)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 07:16 PM

Jul 2025

https://www.parapsych.org/section/36/frequently_asked_questions.aspx

Perhaps it's hard to believe, but an international group of several hundred psychologists, psychiatrists, physicists and other scientists are applying the scientific method to these unusual experiences. Check out the journal to see what sort of research projects are ongoing before you dismiss it all out of hand.

TheRickles

(3,156 posts)

18. Here's the link to a downloadable Special Issue of the Journal of Parapsycholgy

Reply to TheRickles (Reply #17)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 07:20 PM

Jul 2025

https://www.parapsych.org/articles/17/477/free_special_issue_of_the_journal.aspx

VeryProgressive

(77 posts)

14. What?

Reply to TheRickles (Reply #4)

Thu Jul 24, 2025, 06:25 PM

Jul 2025

There was never a genuine demonstration of psychic phenomena. That's why the Amazing Randi never had to pay up. Please don't equate these completely different things.