EFE.- A U.S. judge ordered $1.7 million in damages to be paid to Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, as part of a defamation lawsuit against Patrick Byrne, founder of Overstock.com, one of the first major e-commerce companies in the United States.
Byrne accused Biden of participating in an alleged $800 million bribery scheme driven by Iran, in exchange for the Democratic administration releasing frozen funds to that country.
Central District of California Judge Stephen Wilson ruled in his judgment that Byrne acted with “intentional misrepresentation” and a “conscious disregard” for Hunter Biden‘s rights, by encouraging his followers on social media to spread false information.
Byrne maintained the defamation even after the lawsuit was filed. The former executive was held in default after refusing to testify in the California court and attempting to delay the case by changing lawyers.
“The most plausible explanation is that the defendant lacks credibility, invents incredible and far-fetched stories to capture media attention, and fabricated the defamatory story in question to damage the plaintiff’s reputation,” says the order shared this Saturday by Biden in a message on his X account.
The son of the Democratic former president was grateful that the rule of law had prevailed in his case.
More Read
You can also read: Biden, Obama and Bush share messages for US Independence
Biden had requested $1 in nominal damages, which was granted by the court.
The judge also ordered Byrne to pay 1.7 million dollars in punitive damages to Biden.
Byrne is known for denying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election over Donald Trump, who was seeking immediate reelection, and for attacking the former president’s family.
