Former Gov. Jesse Ventura plans to appeal the decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which last week overturned the $1.8 million defamation verdict that a jury awarded him in 2014.
Ventura to appeal 8th Circuit decision that threw out $1.8 million defamation award
June 23, 2016 at 1:24AM
David B. Olsen, Ventura's attorney, filed a motion Wednesday asking for an extension until July 11 to file a brief. He will be seeking a rehearing before the three judge appeals panel that decided the case, or collectively, by all the judges of the 8th Circuit.
It is rare for a federal appeals court to grant a rehearing.
On June 13, the 8th Circuit unanimously overturned a $1.3 million award to Ventura for unjust enrichment and, by a 2-1 vote, overturned a $500,000 award for defamation. It ordered the case back to the U.S. District Court in the Twin Cities to retry the defamation aspect of the case.
Ventura sued the estate of Chris Kyle, contending that Kyle's best selling memoir, "American Sniper," contained a description of a verbal and physical confrontation between the two men in a California bar in 2006.
Ventura said the account was a fabrication, and a federal jury in St. Paul, by an 8-2 vote, agreed.
“They’re stealing from us … You’ve got to increase the penalty on these crimes. These are crimes against children, in my opinion,” Walz said.
