Jesse Ventura, estate of "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle agree to dismiss case
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jesse Ventura and the estate of "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle have agreed to dismiss the former Minnesota governor's defamation case.
Ventura sued Kyle after Kyle wrote that he punched a man, later identified as Ventura, in a bar. Ventura said it never happened.
A federal jury in Minnesota awarded Ventura $1.8 million in 2014, but that verdict was overturned on appeal. While Ventura initially said he'd seek a new trial, there were signs in November that a settlement was forthcoming. Court documents filed Friday show the parties agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning Ventura cannot sue again on the same claim.
"All I wanted to do was clear my name, and it has nothing to do with a widow or anything like that," Ventura told "CBS This Morning" during his first post-trial interview in 2014.
Ventura's attorneys didn't return messages. Defense lawyers referred questions to Kyle's publisher, which didn't respond.
Kyle, a retired Navy SEAL, was killed at a Texas shooting range in 2013, but Ventura's lawsuit proceeded against Kyle's estate.