The “American Sniper” defamation case seems to be over after former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura lost his Supreme Court appeal to reinstate a verdict stemming from a reported bar fight with Chris Kyle.
A decision by the high court for the former pro-wrestler against the dead Navy SEAL's estate would have reinstated a $1.8 million verdict, reported the Daily Mail.
Ventura had been awarded $500,000 for defamation and $1.3 million for unjust enrichment in a case against Kyle back in 2014, but a
A federal court would later decide to throw out that judgment though.
Kyle is considered the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, having recorded 160 kills during his service.
He died in 2013 – shot and killed by a troubled military veteran – and his autobiography made it to the big screen the following year as the film “American Sniper,” directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper.
The movie was a box office hit, bringing in nearly $340 million in the U.S. alone.
According to the New York Daily News, Ventura had a problem with Kyle’s claim that he had punched Ventura at a California bar in 2006 after offensive comments made about the SEALs.
Ventura, also a former SEAL, claimed Kyle had made up the entire incident and that putting it in the book damaged his reputation.
Despite the appeal being rejected, Ventura said he will continue pursuing the case and the possibility to return to Minnesota for a new trial, said Fox News.
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