Hunter Biden just secured a major legal victory against one of his most prominent critics.
A federal judge in California has awarded Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages in his defamation lawsuit against pro-trump Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, ruling that Byrne knowingly spread false claims accusing Biden of seeking an $800 million bribe from Iran.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson, a Ronald Reagan appointee, found that Byrne’s actions went far beyond a simple mistake, concluding that he repeatedly pushed allegations he knew lacked evidence.
“The evidence is clear and convincing that defendant has engaged in intentional misrepresentation with conscious disregard towards plaintiff’s rights,” Wilson wrote.
The judge said Byrne continued promoting the claims after publication, repeatedly reposting the accusations on social media and encouraging his followers to spread them further.
The ruling was not only focused on Byrne’s statements about Biden.
Wilson also criticized Byrne’s conduct throughout the years-long legal battle, accusing him of using delay tactics that prevented the case from moving forward.
The judge pointed to a dramatic moment last summer when Byrne derailed a scheduled trial by firing his legal team on the first day and failing to appear in court as his attorney had previously promised.
“Defendant has sustained a campaign of dilatory tactics that have indefinitely extended this years-long litigation, while denying plaintiff his day in court,” Wilson wrote.
The judge said the delays were not the result of an innocent mistake but rather a “coordinated strategy.”
Along with the punitive damages, Byrne was ordered to pay nearly $35,000 in previously issued court sanctions. The sanctions will increase by $1,000 for every day he fails to pay after the deadline.
The lawsuit centered around claims made by Byrne that Hunter Biden attempted to secure an $800 million bribe from Iran in exchange for the Biden administration releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds and taking a softer position in nuclear negotiations.
Biden argued that the accusations were completely fabricated and designed to damage his reputation.
“These defamatory statements by Byrne are not merely false and not merely malicious — they are completely outrageous,” Biden said in his complaint.
He accused Byrne of knowingly spreading baseless allegations to his large online following.
After the ruling, Biden’s attorney Bryan Sullivan called the decision a complete vindication.
“As found by the court, Byrne had no basis to say that Hunter had any involvement with Iran whatsoever,” Sullivan said.
Byrne, 63, is a longtime conservative figure who resigned as Overstock.com’s CEO in 2019 following reports of a relationship with convicted Russian spy Maria Butina.
After leaving Overstock, Byrne became heavily involved in efforts to challenge Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, promoting claims that the election had been stolen.
He has also repeatedly pushed conspiracy theories surrounding Hunter Biden, including the Iran bribery allegation at the center of the lawsuit.
The court’s ruling now marks a significant legal setback for Byrne, who spent years promoting accusations against Biden that a federal judge found were knowingly false.
The decision leaves Byrne facing millions of dollars in damages, additional financial penalties, and a court ruling that his accusations against Hunter Biden were not only false but intentionally spread.
