Judge Upholds Jury Award in Ventura Case

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A federal judge has ruled a $1.8 million defamation damage award to former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is reasonable.

A federal jury last month sided with the former pro wrestler and movie actor in his two-year fight to prove he was defamed by a military sniper and best-selling author who claimed to have punched out Ventura at a bar for bad-mouthing the Navy SEALs.

The jury found "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle's claim was false and defamatory. Jurors awarded $500,000 for damages and advised $1.3 million for "unjust enrichment," or how much money Kyle improperly made from the claim.

Reports say Judge Richard Kyle, who is unrelated to the deceased author, upheld the jury's enrichment figure Thursday, saying it's "reasonable and supported by a preponderance of the evidence."