Federal Judge Awards Hunter Biden $1.7 Million in Patrick Byrne Defamation Case

A federal judge in California awarded Hunter Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages and $1 in nominal damages on Friday in a defamation case against Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock.com. The Guardian reported that U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson, appointed during Ronald Reagan's presidency, also assessed $35,000 in court sanctions against Byrne.

Wilson found Byrne in default after he failed to appear for a scheduled jury trial in October and fired his lead attorney. The judge ruled that Byrne is not credible, fabricates farfetched narratives, and created the defamatory story to damage Hunter Biden's reputation.

Would go easy on Iran during nuclear talks, at a time when Joe Biden was president. In a social media post after the ruling, Hunter Biden wrote that he is grateful the rule of law prevailed and cited the judge's findings.

One of his attorneys stated they would return to court if Byrne repeats the statements. The judgment came after Hunter Biden's father pardoned him for federal gun and tax convictions as Joe Biden's term ended and Donald Trump prepared to begin his second presidency in early 2025.

Hunter Biden's protective Secret Service detail was canceled in March 2025 after a photograph of him with his family in Cape Town, South Africa, was shared online.