U.S. Supreme Court Snubs Jesse Ventura's Bid to Reinstate $1.8M Verdict

WASHINGTON, DC — Jesse Ventura, the professional wrestler who served in the Minnesota governor’s mansion from 1999 to 2003, got a knockout punch from the U.S. Supreme Court Monday. The court rejected without comment a bid by Ventura to get a $1.8 million verdict in a defamation case reinstated.

That means an earlier decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stands. The 8th Circuit rejected the verdict in Ventura’s defamation case against the estate of slain Navy SEAL and “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle.

In the autobiography that became the basis for the “American Sniper” movie, Kyle wrote that he punched Ventura, a former Navy SEAL, in a California bar in 2006. The wrestler-turned-politician claimed Kyle made the story up, and that it damaged his reputation among other former SEALS. The lower court jury agreed.

In the appeal of the 8th Circuit decision, Ventura’s attorneys argued that the appeals court arbitrarily substituted its judgment for the lower court jury’s. A split 8th Circuit panel ruled in June that Ventura’s lawyers made prejudicial remarks to the jury that insurance might cover a judgment against Kyle’s estate and his widow wouldn’t be financially harmed.

It’s possible the case could return to Minnesota for a new trial, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Photo by Jonathunder via Wikimedia Commons