A federal judge in California handed Hunter Biden a significant legal victory on Friday, awarding him $1.7 million in punitive damages in a defamation case against Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock.com and a prominent Trump supporter.
Byrne had claimed in a public interview that Hunter Biden solicited an $800 million bribe from Iran in late 2021, allegedly offering to convince his father, then-President Joe Biden, to unfreeze $8 billion in Iranian assets and soften the US stance in nuclear negotiations. Hunter Biden sued in 2023, arguing the accusations were entirely fabricated.
US District Judge Stephen Wilson found the evidence overwhelming. In his ruling, the judge noted that Byrne provided no documentary support for his claims and failed to demonstrate that any Iranian official had direct contact with Hunter Biden. Wilson wrote that the court discovered "ample evidence" that Byrne "knew the story to be false, and much of the narrative describing the covert meeting with an Iranian government official was fabricated."
Byrne had argued he believed the story because an Iranian government official told him about it. But Wilson rejected this defense, finding that Byrne acted with "conscious disregard towards plaintiff's rights" and engaged in "intentional misrepresentation."
The case took an unusual turn when Byrne failed to appear for a scheduled October jury trial and fired his lead attorney. Wilson found him in default for what the judge described as "repeated, intentional disobedience of court orders" and imposed sanctions. The court ordered Byrne to pay $35,000 in additional court costs.
Hunter Biden's attorney, Bryan Sullivan, said the judgment sends a clear message. "The judgment is $1.7 million in punitive damages, and it is the floor, not the ceiling, of what Mr Byrne owes for his conduct," Sullivan told the Guardian. He added that any repetition of the false claims would result in immediate legal action.
Byrne, who promoted false election denial claims and funded efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential results, did not respond to requests for comment.
The verdict comes as Hunter Biden has become more publicly visible through social media and is preparing to publish essays on Substack. It also follows his father's pardon of him on federal gun and tax charges during the final days of his presidency.
Author James Rodriguez: "Byrne got caught making up a story with nothing to back it up, and now he is paying the price. That is how defamation law is supposed to work."
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