Judge ruled Byrne fabricated Iran bribery story about Hunter Biden
Hunter Biden said in a social media post that he is “grateful that the rule of law prevailed” after a federal judge in California awarded him $1.7 million in punitive damages in his defamation lawsuit against Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock.com.
The post, which served as Biden’s first public comments about the judgment, cited Wilson’s finding that Byrne made the defamatory statements with actual malice. “Wilson’s order speaks for itself,” Biden wrote, linking to the decision.
Wilson wrote that Byrne failed to provide any documentary evidence “that could allow a reasonable person to believe the story to be true.” The judge also noted that Byrne never alleged that the purported Iranian source had direct contact with Biden.
“As found by the court, Byrne had no basis to say that Hunter had any involvement with Iran whatsoever,” Bryan Sullivan, an attorney for Biden, said in a statement.
Biden filed the lawsuit in 2023, alleging that Byrne lied in an interview by claiming that Biden had solicited a bribe from Iran’s government in 2021. According to the lawsuit, Byrne said Biden — in exchange for an $800 million bribe — offered to ask his father, who was president at the time, to “unfreeze” $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets and ensure the U.S. would “go easy” on Iran during nuclear negotiations.
Biden’s lawsuit said Byrne “made, published and repeated false and defamatory statements knowing full well that the statements are false, for the purpose of subjecting plaintiff to harassment, intimidation, and harm.”
The case had been scheduled for a jury trial in October. But Wilson wrote that Byrne “failed to appear” for the trial and fired his lead attorney, causing a delay “at the expense” of Biden and the court. Wilson found Byrne in default and awarded Biden $1 in nominal damages and $1.7 million in punitive damages, along with $35,000 in court sanctions.
Some legal commentators noted that Byrne in effect lost on procedural grounds rather than substantive ones because jurors never heard the case.
Sullivan said in his statement that he and his client would “be back in court” if Byrne chose to repeat any of the falsehoods that prompted the lawsuit.
The judgment came after Biden’s father, former President Joe Biden, pardoned him for federal gun and tax convictions as his White House term ended and President Donald Trump prepared to begin his second presidency in early 2025.
Byrne is a Trump ally who funded efforts to overturn Trump’s defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.