BREAKING: Federal judge orders MAGA millionaire to pay Hunter Biden $1.7 million for defamation
Hunter Biden just won big in federal court, and a MAGA millionaire is paying the price.
Patrick Byrne, the Overstock. com founder and loyal Trump ally, was ordered Friday to pay Hunter Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages over false claims that Biden sought a bribe from Iran in 2021.
Biden sued Byrne for defamation in 2023, refusing to let the smear stand. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson ruled that Byrne had made his false claims with “actual malice.”
The judge did not hold back. He wrote that the most plausible explanation is that Byrne “is not credible, fabricates awesome and farfetched narratives to garner attention in the media, and fabricated the defamatory story at issue in this case to damage Plaintiff’s reputation.”
Byrne could not even be bothered to show up to defend himself. He failed to appear for a jury trial in October, an incident the judge cited as having delayed proceedings “at the expense” of Biden.
The judge also noted Byrne had already been found liable in Canada for the same kind of behavior, repeatedly publishing accusations to damage a prominent public figure’s reputation. “Yet Defendant has persisted in that behavior,” the ruling reads.
Now that persistence comes with a price tag. On top of the $1.7 million, Byrne was ordered to pay around $35,000 in court sanctions.
For years, MAGA figures spread lies about Hunter Biden without consequence. This ruling proves the era of consequence-free defamation is over. Lie about someone in America, and a court can make you pay for it.