(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Hunter Biden, the only child in U.S. history to receive a presidential pardon from his father, praised the “rule of law” after winning a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne.
At the center of the lawsuit were Biden’s claims that Byrne defamed him by alleging he sought an $800 million bribe from Iran following the 2020 election.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson issued the 25-page ruling as part of a default judgment against Byrne.
Wilson awarded Biden Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages after Byrne reportedly failed to respond to the lawsuit adequately. Byrne was also ordered to pay $34,969.20 in monetary sanctions.
The judge ordered Byrne to pay within 14 days. If he fails to do so, the judgment will increase by $1,000 per day.
Wilson described Biden’s evidence as “clear” and “convicting that defendant has engaged in intentional misrepresentation with conscious disregard towards plaintiff’s rights.”
The judge found that Byrne’s “defamation went far beyond mere negligence.”
“In fact, defendant has admitted that after the offending article was published, defendant repeatedly reposted the article across social media platforms and encouraged his followers on those platforms to promote it further,” Wilson wrote.
Wilson also accused Byrne of repeatedly attempting to delay the litigation. According to Courthouse News, Byrne fired his attorneys ahead of the July trial before later failing to appear in person as 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 added. “This was not a product of excusable neglect but rather of coordinated strategy.”
Biden celebrated the ruling in an X post, writing: “I am grateful that the rule of law prevailed in my defamation case against Patrick Byrne.”
I am grateful that the rule of law prevailed in my defamation case against Patrick Byrne.
The court’s order which you can read for yourselves speaks for itself.
“the most plausible explanation is that Defendant is not credible, fabricates awesome and farfetched narratives to…
— Hunter Biden (@HunterBiden) July 11, 2026
The victory marks one of several civil lawsuits Biden has pursued in connection to his controversial finances and laptop.
He also sued John Paul Mac Isaac, the owner of a Delaware computer repair shop who facilitated the release of Biden’s abandoned laptop, alleging invasion of privacy. A Delaware judge later dismissed the case after ruling Biden waited too long to file his claims.
Biden also withdrew a separate lawsuit against Fox News over the network’s reporting on the contents of his laptop.
