Judge awards Hunter Biden $1.7M in defamation suit against ex-Overstock CEO

Hunter Biden, the son of former President Biden, was awarded $1.7 million in damages on Friday as part of a defamation lawsuit against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne.

Byrne, a known denier of Biden’s victory over President Trump in the 2020 presidential election, accused the younger Biden of taking part in an $800 million bribery scheme involving Iran and failed to defend his claims in court.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson of the Central District of California ruled the ex-executive acted with “intentional misrepresentation” and “conscious disregard” for Hunter’s rights, and said Byrne continued to amplify the false allegations even after Hunter filed the lawsuit against him.

“Here, the evidence is clear and convincing that [Byrne] has engaged in intentional misrepresentation with conscious disregard towards [Hunter’s] rights,” Wilson wrote in his 25- page ruling. The judge added that Byrne’s “defamation went far beyond mere negligence,” and that Byrne had encouraged his social media followers to spread the false report and promote it further.

Wilson, an appointee of former President Reagan, awarded Hunter $1 in nominal damages, as requested, in addition to $1.7 million in punitive damages. He also ordered the former Overstock chief to pay nearly $35,000 in previously imposed court sanctions within two weeks or face an additional $1,000 penalty for each day payment is delayed after the deadline.

“This is a complete vindication for Hunter Biden against the false statements made about him by Patrick Byrne,” Bryan Sullivan, an attorney for Hunter, said in a statement. “As found by the court, Byrne had no basis to say that Hunter had any involvement with Iran whatsoever.”

The lawsuit stemmed from Byrne’s repeated claims that Hunter sought the bribe from Iran in exchange for persuading his father, who was president at the time, to release $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets and ease pressure during nuclear negotiations.

The former president’s son denied the allegations and argued the executive knowingly republished the false claims.

Byrne, a longtime ally of Trump, resigned as CEO of Overstock.com in 2019 after reports of a relationship with convicted Russian spy Maria Butina.

Judge awards Hunter Biden $1.7M in defamation suit against ex-Overstock CEO

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