$1.85 Million Award against American Sniper Author Overruled

The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a jury award for defamation and tossed a claim of unjust enrichment against the estate of Chris Kyle, the bestselling author of “American Sniper.” On June 13, 2016, a majority of the three-judge panel held that the plaintiff, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, improperly referenced Kyle’s insurance policy during the trial. This decision reversed a jury award of $1.85 million against former U.S. Navy SEAL Kyle. The court ordered a new trial on the defamation claim; but, …

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