US judge awards Hunter Biden $1.7m in defamation case against Patrick Byrne
A California federal judge ordered Patrick Byrne, ex-CEO of Overstock.com, to pay punitive damages for falsely accusing Biden of seeking an $800m bribe from Iran to lobby his father, then-President Joe Biden, to unlock $8bn in frozen assets.
Hunter Biden, son of former Democratic President Joe Biden, sued Patrick Byrne in 2023 for defamation. Byrne had falsely claimed in an interview that Hunter Biden sought an $800m bribe from Iran’s government in fall 2021 to convince his father to “unfreeze” $8bn in frozen Iranian assets and ensure the US would “go easy” on Iran during nuclear talks. In his lawsuit, Biden said:
These defamatory statements of Byrne are not merely false nor merely malicious: they are absolutely outrageous.
Byrne’s election denial and attacks
Byrne, who founded Overstock.com and is a prominent ally of Donald Trump, denies Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election and has repeatedly attacked the Biden family. The court filing noted Byrne encouraged his social media followers to disseminate false information about the alleged bribery scheme, even after the lawsuit was filed.
Judge’s findings
US District Judge Stephen Wilson of the Central District of California, appointed to the federal bench during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, issued an order on Friday, 10 July 2026, finding Byrne liable. The judge wrote that Byrne acted with “actual malice”, disputed his claim that he believed the statements were true based on an Iranian official’s tip, and noted Byrne provided no documentary evidence. Wilson stated:
The most plausible explanation is that the defendant lacks credibility, invents incredible and absurd stories to attract media attention and fabricated the defamatory story to harm the plaintiff’s reputation.
The court also found ample evidence that Byrne knew the story was false and that much of the narrative describing a covert meeting with an Iranian official was fabricated.
- Hunter Biden files defamation lawsuit against Patrick Byrne over Iran bribe claim.
- Judge Stephen Wilson awards $1.7m in punitive damages and grants default judgment after Byrne fails to appear.
Default and damages
Byrne failed to appear at a scheduled jury trial, fired his lead attorney, and delayed proceedings. As a result, Wilson entered a default judgment against him. Hunter Biden had requested nominal damages of just $1, which the judge granted. Wilson additionally ordered Byrne to pay $1.7m in punitive damages, bringing the total award to $1,700,001. The ruling marks a legal rebuke for Byrne, who maintained his claims. Hunter Biden expressed gratitude that the rule of law had prevailed.
