Hunter Biden launched a lawsuit on Wednesday against former Overstock.com CEO, Patrick Byrne, for defamation, claiming Byrne falsely accused him of soliciting a bribe from Iran.
The complaint filed in the Central District of California alleges Byrne made defamatory comments in June and on October 8, 2023, about an alleged connection between the president’s son and Iran.
“Plaintiff brings this action for defamation against Byrne because he has made, published, and repeated false and defamatory statements about Plaintiff, knowing full well that the statements are false, for the purpose of subjecting Plaintiff to harassment, intimidation, and harm,” the complaint claimed.
Byrne suggested, according to the complaint, that Hunter Biden contacted the Iranian government and offered to have President Joe Biden unfreeze money in exchange for a bribe.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 15: Founder and CEO of Overstock.com Patrick Byrne attends Consensus 2019 at the Hilton Midtown on May 15, 2019, in New York City (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images).
“These defamatory statements by Byrne are not merely false and not merely malicious — they are completely outrageous” and “complete nonsense,” the complaint says.
The lawsuit stated Byrne reposted the allegation on X after Hamas perpetrated terror on Israel.
“The clear implication of Byrne’s October 8, 2023 posts was that Plaintiff’s allegedly criminal and corrupt actions had contributed to the terrorist attacks by Hamas,” the complaint said.
The lawsuit is the latest in legal actions brought against Hunter Biden, who previously sued the IRS and Rudy Giuliani.
Follow Wendell Husebø on “X” @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.