A federal judge in Los Angeles awards Hunter Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages in a defamation lawsuit against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne. The case centers on comments Byrne made in an interview in 2023 claiming that Biden sought an Iran-related bribe. Hunter Biden sued Byrne in 2023, arguing the statements were false. According to the lawsuit, Byrne alleged that Biden tried to obtain an $800 million bribe in 2021 to help lobby for the release of about $8 billion in Iranian assets. Sources report the court finds Byrne’s remarks were not the result of simple mistake. NBC News and other coverage quote the judge describing the comments as a “coordinated strategy” rather than “excusable neglect,” and Courthouse News reports the judge says Byrne knew the bribe claims were fabricated. Byrne denies the allegations and is described across outlets as a supporter of Donald Trump and a participant in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. After the decision, Hunter Biden posts publicly that “the rule of law prevailed.”