Patrick Byrne defaults ahead of trial in Hunter Biden defamation lawsuit

[riversedge]

Seems Hunter B only won a buck for now---but can pursue civil damages--If I read this right.




Patrick Byrne defaults ahead of trial in Hunter Biden defamation lawsuit

Byrne's failure to have a lawyer represent him at a sanctions hearing last week exhausted the patience of the judge who in July had declined to order him in default.

https://www.courthousenews.com/patrick-byrne-defaults-ahead-of-trial-in-hunter-bidens-defamation-lawsuit/


Edvard Pettersson / October 8, 2025

Link to tweet

Patrick Byrne speaking with attendees at the 2023 Turning Point Action Conference at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons)

LOS ANGELES (CN) —...................

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The order opens the door for a default judgment against the Florida-based millionaire, whom Hunter Biden sued over repeated claims that Biden sought an $800 million bribe from Iran in exchange for the thaw of $8 billion in Iranian funds frozen in a South Korean bank account by his father President Joe Biden’s administration.
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Byrne, 62, resigned as Overstock.com’s CEO in 2019 after a reported relationship with convicted Russian spy Maria Butina. He later became involved in efforts to challenge the legitimacy of President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss.

In July, when the jury trial was initially about to start, Byrne dodged an attempt by Biden to put him default when he failed to appear in person at court in downtown Los Angeles, as his then-attorneys had told the judge he would, and instead fired his lawyers and had a new defense team show up for the first time...................

Biden is seeking $1 in nominal damages for his “defamation per se” claim, which doesn’t require proof of emotional or reputational harm from Byrne’s accusations. However, he also aims to pursue punitive damages, citing what he says is Byrne’s malice in spreading a false bribery story...............................