U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson on Friday awarded Hunter Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages and $1 in nominal damages in a 2023 defamation suit against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne. Byrne had publicly claimed that Hunter Biden offered Iran an $800 million bribe to persuade President Joe Biden to unfreeze about $8 billion in Iranian assets; Hunter Biden sued, saying Byrne knowingly published false statements. Wilson found Byrne provided no documentary evidence, did not allege the Iranian source had direct contact with Biden, and that the court had “ample evidence” Byrne knew the story was false and fabricated much of the narrative. The judge also wrote Byrne repeatedly disobeyed court orders, failed to appear at the scheduled October jury trial, fired his lead trial attorney, and was placed in default as a sanction. Wilson ordered Byrne to pay roughly $35,000 in court sanctions as well, and said the $1.7 million award reflects clear and convincing evidence of intentional misrepresentation. Bryan Sullivan, an attorney for Hunter Biden, called the judgment the “floor, not the ceiling” and warned that if Byrne repeats the claims the plaintiff will return to court.
