A federal judge in California ordered former Overstock.
com CEO Patrick Byrne on Friday to pay Hunter Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages following a defamation lawsuit.
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US District Judge Stephen Wilson levied the financial penalty as a sanction after Byrne failed to appear for a scheduled jury trial in October and discharged his lead trial attorney.
The court determined that these actions caused intentional delays.
The legal dispute originated from a 2023 lawsuit where Biden accused Byrne, an ally of Donald Trump, of falsely claiming during an interview that Biden sought an $800 million bribe from the Iranian government in the fall of 2021.
According to the lawsuit, Byrne falsely alleged that Biden offered to influence his father, US President Joe Biden, to unfreeze $8 billion in Iranian assets and ensure lenient treatment from the US during bilateral nuclear negotiations.
The complaint filed by Biden asserted that Byrne intentionally disseminated these untruths to cause harm.
Biden alleged that 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."
Judge Wilson noted that Byrne contested the claims by arguing he lacked actual malice because an Iranian government official had informed him about the purported bribery arrangement.
However, the judge stated that Byrne provided no documentation to substantiate the meeting or show that the official had direct contact with Biden.
