ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled a $1.8 million defamation damage award to former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is reasonable.
A federal jury last month sided with the former pro wrestler and movie actor in his two-year fight to prove he was defamed by a military sniper and best-selling author who claimed to have punched out Ventura at a bar for bad-mouthing the Navy SEALs.
The jury found "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle's claim was false and defamatory. Jurors awarded $500,000 for damages and advised $1.3 million for "unjust enrichment," or how much money Kyle improperly made from the claim.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://bit.ly/1pGsewd ) reports Judge Richard Kyle, who is unrelated to the deceased author, upheld the jury's enrichment figure Thursday, saying it's "reasonable and supported by a preponderance of the evidence."
———
Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com
