Ventura wins $1.8 million from Kyle widow

| July 29, 2014

I just have no faith in the legal system anymore;

A jury awarded former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura $1.8 million on Tuesday in his lawsuit against the estate of “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle.

[…]

The jury told the judge Monday that it didn’t believe it could reach a unanimous verdict, but the judge instructed them to continue. On Tuesday, attorneys for both sides agreed that the verdict did not need to be unanimous and would allow a verdict if only eight of 10 jurors agreed.

After finding in favor of Ventura, the jury was also tasked with awarding damages for any harm to his reputation, humiliation and embarrassment. Jurors had to find that Ventura suffered an economic loss as a direct result of Kyle’s statements, or that Kyle used Ventura to profit unjustly.

Regardless, the rest of America knows who Jimmy Janos is and this isn’t going to help his income situation.

Category: Dumbass Bullshit

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Old Tanker

That only solidifies my opinion of Jesse Ventura……he’s a sack of shit….FOAD Jimmy…

Anonymous

‘Nam “veteran” ’cause he got the campaign medal for being “in theater” at Subic Bay only. Graduated BUD/S Class 58 in ’70 but is he UDT or a SEAL? Stolen Valor story, perhaps?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Ventura

Old Tanker

Don Shipley put that to rest as far as I’m concerned…he was a SEAL

electro

I honestly think that Mr. Shipley did that to protect other UDT/Seal men who don’t deserve to have their service tarnished by Ventura’s antics.

Toasty Coastie

I hope Mrs. Kyle appeals and wins…this is utter crap…smh

MrBill

Hard to believe that worthless piece of crap got eight members of a jury to buy his BS.

fishaddict

Hell he got a majority of a state MN to elect him. He is good at nothing other than self promotion.

James

This proves that beside the state of Minnesota, there are 8 other uninformed individuals.

Old Trooper

Correction: He did NOT get a majority of the state to vote for him; he got 1/3 of the state to vote for him (it was a 3 way race).

RJ Philco

I’m from Minnesota, THANK YOU for mentioning that! He won a very narrow plurality of the vote when the last undecideds, college kids, broke for him on Election Day. They took the pro wrestler over two long-time MN politicians.
Gov. Ventura actually put together a good administration, with very qualified people and sound budgets. Unfortunately, his ego and his mouth were soon his downfall.

I’m as surprised as anyone he won. I thought most people knew of Jesse’s 9/11 wacko theories, his very vocal opposition to the war, and his very personal attacks on President Bush. All of which make it pretty likely he said those things at McP’s Pub. But, that doesn’t prove he got hit by Kyle.

In a court of law, of course, it is the very narrow scope of the specific charge(s) that must be proven or disproved. Actions outside of the specific charge(s) aren’t, generally, admissible.

ChipNASA

Jesus Christ tap dancing on a cracker while a fucking monkey jumps on a pogo stick while a big fat bald guy in glasses sodomizes a 7 lb block of Swiss cheese….flying fuckity FUCK!!!

Enigma4you

Yep that pretty much sums up my thoughts on this.

Well said

Ex-PH2

Ditto.

FC2 Dewclaw

Ditto ditto

What a huge pile of stinking horseshit this is.

F*ck off and die, Janos

MAJMike

Chip, I really do admire such eloquence.

Instinct

Yep, that just about covers it. I need brain bleach for the very last part, but that does cover it.

diamondsun

Here, I can help with that, Instinct.

http://www.eyebleach.com

FatCircles0311

ST. Paul, Minn must be full of 9/11 truthers/America haters for this to occur. Glad the 11 witnesses that testified were ignored, so these activists jurors could bring forth a social justice verdict for a crackpot.

Tell the truth in America about assholes, get sued, and lose. What disgusting assholes.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

I’m hoping this means we are at last done with this dried out old turd and his idiotic ramblings.

1.8 million Mr. Ventura, I hope it buys you something that causes you misery every day for the rest of your life, it’s the least you deserve for being such a giant shit bag. There were a dozen ways you could have addressed your concerns over this incident, 11 of those ways would have left a favorable (or as favorable as possible for you) impression in people’s thoughts. You, being the giant steroid pumped asshole that you are found the one way that would make you universally reviled as a total stinking pile of shit. Well played asshole I hope it all comes back in the form of a nice Karmic piece of justice. I just hope I’m not within 50 miles of you when it does.

Hondo

Well, steroids reputedly have certain effects on the . . . “man region”. I’m hoping he ends up spending a big chunk of that on plastic surgery, hormone therapy, and Enzyte.

And the rest on hiring pros – because IMO few if women would be willing to give him the time of day for any other reason.

Betsy

Beautifully stated! I, too, hope and pray that what goes around, will come around in a huge way…..and soon! This Ventura guy was a freak and most definitely a douche of the highest magnitude!
As far as assaulting his reputation, I laugh hilariously………..when did he ever have anything resembling a reputation, except for that of an idiotic clown!
Loathsome and repugnant piece of human garbage!

Pinto Nag

I’m surprised that Janos was awarded anything. I would very much like to know what made the jury decide on his behalf.

royh

I’d never even have know Kyle said anything about Janos if he hadn’t made such a big fucking deal out of it. The guy’s a joke anyway. Humiliation and embarrassment? He was a pro wrestler FFS.

A Proud Infidel®™

Hey Janos, SHIT IN YOUR FUCKING FACE!! I hope you choke to death while you go fuck yourself to death up the ass sideways with a hundred frozen porcupines while this is being appealed.

electro

If he needs any help stuffing those porcupines up his truther ass, I’d be happy to bring over a sledgehammer and take a swing or two. Jesse Ventura is an opportunistic piece of shit who deserves to reap what he sows.

Joe Williams

Be afraid janos,KARMA is coming. What rep ? He can be called a SEAL because he passed BUDS. janos was never on the teams,they sent him to be a UDT swimmer. He was never in Nam,his UDT team stayed in PI.. His TV appeal was on the downhill spiral long before the knockdown.I am sure that janos will attend any more SEAL funerals or GTGs. Joe

Crucible

It’s much worse than the 1.8M-the lawyer is asking for 5-16M for damages on top of that.

Jessie is a turd of the highest caliber.

Pinto Nag

To be frank, I don’t think much of the judge, jurors, or lawyers involved with this, either.

Valerie Conley

From what I understood, his lawyer said that since the Estate had made a little over 6 million so far, that he thought 5-15 million would be an appropriate award but that the 1.8 mil the jury awarded is all he will get, if they don’t appeal, or if the verdict stands on appeal.

I just feel so sorry for Taya and the kids because they had to be put through this. You should look up pictures of his wife and kids — no comparison whatsoever!

Betsy

Ohmygosh, this just gets worse and worse!
The lawyer is more loathsome than Ventura (which takes some doing)!!!!!! Money grubbing vile savage!

OWB

Once again proving that venue and judge shopping is highly effective.

Of all the really stupid court decisions we could name, this must rank among the most ignorant of them all.

radar

Fuck Minnesota.

That is all.

ohio

Doesn’t surprise me at all. Daughter lived there for 14 years. Beautiful country and damn good fishing, but the people are fucked in the head commies. An article on BI last week ranked states by patriotism, Minnesota was dead last. Better off giving it to Canada.

Old Trooper

Not all of us are commies and we’re not all fucked in the head. Sure, you have your pockets of commies in the population centers, but that can be said about any state.

Don’t use the broad brush to paint us all with.

Swampfox46

Over at the RangerUp.com Facebook page there is a thread all but begging RU to make a suitable shirt that the proceeds would go to help pay the 1.8 million.

Hondo

I think they already have a suitable shirt, Swampfox46 – this one:

URL: http://www.rangerup.com/mysteryshirt.html

Swampfox46

Well…the idea is a shirt more narrowed down to ol’ Jimmy and his recent promotion to Grand Duke of the Noble Order of the Blue Falcon

DefendUSA

How is she going to pay that? I’m with you, Jonn. No faith at all in the leaders of the country or faith in the justice system.

Nicki

From what I’m reading, the publisher’s insurance will pay for it, but still… indecent and shitty.

Nicki

This is unbelievable. They are deadlocked after six days of deliberations, then are told to go try again by the judge, and then all of a sudden come up with this abortion of a verdict?

What. In. The. Actual. Fuck.

Betsy

Something smells really fishy!!!!!

nbcguy54

I think it’s probably Ventera’s pink tights that he wore while wrasslin.

In his interview with CBS he states that everybody still loves him. Well not quite everyone:

“Even Anderson Cooper, CNN’s relatively unflappable newsman, weighed in viscerally Tuesday night. His response: “I cannot believe that Jesse Ventura successfully sued the widow of fallen Navy SEAL. Has he no shame?”

Cooper, challenged shortly afterward on Twitter on why Ventura should let people “trash” his name, fired back at a follower: “dude, I saw Jesse Ventura’s conspiracy theory tv show once, he’s done quite a good job of trashing his own name.”

OldSoldier54

re: the American Legal system. I’m right there with ya, Jonn. Alas …

A bud of mine went to Chiro school in Minneapolis/St Paul. He said they’re so liberal, the rest of Minnesota basically disowns them, so I am unsurprised that a jury of these bozos could ignore the testimony of eleven witnesses.

Enigma4you

I wonder if the Judge made that ruling knowing it would be over turned?

2/17 Air Cav

There were 10 jurors. At least one of them, maybe two, was in Kyle’s camp. The defendant, Kyle’s estate, present in the person of his wife, the executrix, knows that the estate wins (but w/o finality) if the jury does not unanimously find for Janos. The case could be refilled, sure, but that would be Janos’s call, whether to risk the headache and expense of another civil trial. So, why does the defense agree to a verdict of less than unanimous? (I could ventura a guess but that’s all it would be.)

GDContractor

Such a seemingly obvious bad move….does make one wonder….

2/17 Air Cav

In retrospect, moves don’t get worse than this. It was obvious the jury was split but to what extent, no one but the jury knew. Plaintiff was willing to go 6-4. Well, no shit. That’s as low as one could go. Defendant could have said, “Thanks, no.” No agreement between them meant no unanimity, a hung jury, no verdict, and Janos would have to decide to try again with a refiled case or not. Instead, defendant counters with an 8-2 offer. It, of course is accepted and…the verdict is 8-2 and Kyle’s estate loses.

Gina

First, Ventura is a world class scumbag. I can only hope the publisher’s insurance will take care of the settlement.

As to the question, I wonder if Mrs. Kyle’s attorney advised her to get this settled now, before the movie goes into production and scumbag would be entitled to a share of that as well? That’s the only thing I can think of that makes sense.

Either way, my heart and prayers go out to Mrs. Kyle and her children.

Oh, and did I mention Ventura is a scumbag?

tough666

Hey, I wonder what Shipley and the rest of his poser loving SEAL buddies think of Ventura now? Still want him representing you?

Ex-PH2

It will likely go to appeal, maybe for a lower amount, but in appeal the witnesses’ statements are read by judges, not heard by jurors.

And if it does go to appeal and the appellate judge disagrees with the jurors’ decision (since they were not unanimous), it may be overturned.

So before you go off into a downward spiral, take that into account.

2/17 Air Cav

Not to dash hope but an appeal will focus only on the legal aspect of the trial and then only on those legal (not factual) matters that were preserved for appeal (i.e., timely objection raised.) I am perplexed at the willingness of the defendant estate to agree to less than a unanimous verdict.

Old Trooper

The reason a legal analyst used is “the defendant thought that the verdict would be in their favor on an 8-2 vote”. It wasn’t.

Toasty Coastie

From Mrs. Kyle

Chris Kyle
6 mins ·
Anybody want some good news today?? Here it is:
1) Nothing that happens today or any other day re-writes history.
2) The truth is still the truth.
3) Chris Kyle stood for what is right and fiercely protected it with everything he had, including his life. I will do no less.
And… The message from a SEAL wife who I adore, said it best about all of us who have strength and fight even when we are momentarily down and you have the audacity to try and kick us:
Break our wings and we will grab a broom and fly circles around your ass!!
I hope it brought a smile to your face as it did mine.
For those of you who are in shock and speechless as I have been today… Rest assured… When it comes to my family, honor and standing up for what is right… As my dear friends Marcus and Melanie Luttrell say… “I AM NEVER OUT OF THE FIGHT!”
God Bless you and your family,
Taya

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

Janos better donate every dollar to the Navy SEAL Foundation: http://www.navysealfoundation.org/

A Proud Infidel®™

He’s way too cowardly and selfish, I’m certain he’ll do the most chickenshit thing he can with it if this doesn’t get overturned.

NHSparky

Yeah, this is me holding my breath.

Janos, you’re a sackless fucking worm.

joe

He said it’s not about the $. Only about his reputation. Now act Janos.

Beretverde

“Only in America!”

CWORet

No. Only in Minnesota. I hereby relinquish my citizenship to the state I grew up in. Pops: if you read this, move south. There is no hope left there.

Sapper3307

Ventura AKA Turd Boy you were dead to us before so just sit back in your tinfoil lined shack in the woods and enjoy a certain ring of Hell waiting on you.
P.S Try to due something useful and choke!

A Proud Infidel®™

I’m certain that a special place in hell awaits his arrival. It’s right next to a spot with a sign saying “RESERVED FOR JANE FONDA”!

Just an Old Dog

I didnt sit on the Jury So I don’t know what evidence was thrown their way.
It could all be based not on the story being false ( like shit-head) claimed) but on it being absolutely TRUE, and Cock-breath having suffered public humiliation and a loss of income from getting his ass beat.
Anyway that 1.8 million will end up being about 500K after Cock-mouth’s Lawyers and the Tax collectors get a hold of it.
Considering he will probably never get a serious job offer after this its not that much.

streetsweeper

Welp! IF the verdict stands, I certainly hope Janos takes his money and makes a run back to old Mexihole so he can live in peace, quiet and pay the Mexican government off, to continue living there. I’ve never thought anything of him in the first place and I damn sure am not going to think anything of him in the future. He is, what he is. A real deal low life, piece of whale shit laying on the ocean floor…And one more thing, GFY! In the ear, with a frozen trout, sideways.

Alberich

Plaintiffs’ lawyers always say: “Get me to the jury.” Because juries are unpredictable in the extreme. Sometimes they follow the law. Sometimes they redistribute wealth. If you put your trust in them, they will break your heart.

It could all be based not on the story being false ( like shit-head) claimed) but on it being absolutely TRUE, and Cock-breath having suffered public humiliation and a loss of income from getting his ass beat.

No, in American law, a statement has to be false or you don’t get defamation damages.

(Even more extremely…if the plaintiff is a “public figure,” he has to prove the person who made the statement didn’t really believe it was true. Which in this case would be the same thing; the author would know whether or not he took JV to Fist City.)

Isnala

This is where many here have a problem with this verdict. JV is a public figure by his own accounts and just from reading what transpired in the case (wasn’t there, so I have to take the reporting on face value) there appeared to be ample evidence submitted that the hill to climb to prove the ‘knowingly false’ was very steep, darn near sheer. So it is hard to fathom that he could have met this criteria, especially with 11 witnesses backing up the events or some form there of contained in the book.

Alberich

Well, according to the story, he got up on the witness stand and said, “It isn’t true.”

And the thing is…somebody’s testimony is evidence of the thing he’s testifying to. The jury is entitled to believe that testimony, to any level of proof, even “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Two people get up and have a swearing contest; boom! One account is “proven.”

(This is scary because human beings are not good “lie detectors” — although many people think they are. The story suggests that the defense witnesses didn’t tell consistent stories, which may be part of the problem.)

Isnala

Yes but if I read things correctly he had to prove that Kyle knew it wasn’t true and based on what I have read he didn’t cross that line. I.e. Kyle beleived the events did in fact occcured and while JV may have been able to convince some of the jury that events in the book didn’t occure it didn’t appear that he was able to prove that Kyle knowing lied about them.

Alberich

Plaintiffs’ lawyers always say: “Get me to the jury.” Because juries are unpredictable in the extreme. Sometimes they follow the law. Sometimes they redistribute wealth. If you put your trust in them, they will break your heart.

btw, I said this not to opine on the case — which I have not been following — but in response to the statement, “I have no faith in the justice system anymore.”

I don’t know any system that isn’t going to rely, at some point, on a human being or a group of them making a decision like this; whether or not it’s the wrong one.

The linked story suggests to me that the damages had less to do with getting beaten up than with this:

Olsen said Kyle’s claims that Ventura said he hated America, thought the U.S. military was killing innocent civilians in Iraq and that the SEALs “deserve to lose a few” had made him a pariah in the community that mattered most to him — the brotherhood of current and former SEALs.

…which I can understand; but I do not know enough to have an opinion on whether these statements are true.

Sapper3307

Well maybe Don Shiply and the gang can have Ventura AKA Turd Boys trident revoked. Let it known throughout the Seal community that Ventura AKA Turd Boy is no longer in the club. Ban his azz from all Seal functions on or off base. Does anybody else have suggestion’s on how to start this up?

Old Trooper

Ventura never got the Trident to begin with. He graduated from BUD/S and went to a UDT unit.

Tough666

Banning JV will never happen. The SEAL community has thrown it’s support behind this stain for far too long to back out now.

JV is famous. If you look at the actions of SEALS to date notoriety is more important than ability.

2/17 Air Cav

Okay, two things aside from what I think was a crazy agreement by the defense to accept less than a unanimous verdict. First, there appears to be insurance here in some form or fashion. Second, only a half million is assured. The remaining 1.3 million is advisory and the actual amount will be determined by the judge. Janos could get a buck. It all depends on what is argued and how the judge sees the matter.

GDContractor

Are plaintiff’s lawyers on contingency or billable hours?

2/17 Air Cav

Most likely it was contingent–so, yeah, reduce the Janos take by 35%, if so.

GDContractor

Man I hope so, for two reasons.
1.) Cap the award and prevent his fees from being passed on to Mrs. Kyle/Estate.
2.) Next time JV wants to sue someone, he might not have any help. That had to be an expensive lawsuit to prosecute on his side. If his team was on contingency, I bet their hourly average is pretty damn low at this point.

2/17 Air Cav

The American Rule is that each side pays their attorney. Statutory exceptions to the rule exist but don’t apply here. And, as I said somewhere in this thread, the 1.3 of the 1.8 million reported was advisory. It’s now up to the judge. Here’s hoping he gives Janos a dollar, leaving him with 65% of 500,001 (after attys fees) and insurance covers that 1/2 million for the Kyle estate. If it goes that way, Janos has a helluva alot less that 1.8 mil to convert into pesos.

Sparks

Janos…I never had much doubt you were a worthless turd with no redeeming values. You have absolutely confirmed those thoughts in my mind now. I am sad to see the legal system pander to a man like him for the reasons they did. It’s as bad as the O.J. criminal verdict to me.

cato

Janos/ventura makes me sick, the judicial system that made this decision makes me wretch.

ProudModerate

Kyle lied about Ventura saying hateful things about U.S. Servicemen he deserves every bit of this reward.. Chris Kyle didn’t need to go about telling tall tales to promote his book and self. It would have sold regardless.

2/17 Air Cav

The judicial system didn’t make the decision. Ten adults did in Minnesota. They were the fact finders. Juries are notorious for screwing up cases that seem like a lock for one side or the other. The movie Twelve Angry Men represented Hollywood fiction at its wildest. OJ Simpson’s criminal jury was stone-cold reality.

Candle

Wanna bet what money he gets will be paid to whoever gets his rocks off for a month? If this goes badly for Taya and the children please let us know so we can crowdsource.

SFC D

I hope you sleep well in your victory, Mr. Janos. And may your soul burn in hell when that time comes, you pussy.

charles w

Well said.
Out.

Former 11B

Well Ventura was partially right when he called himself a “goddamn sexual tyrannosaur” he just left about the part about how the only fucking he does consists of his buddies.

BinhTuy66

Hey Janos,

What a low life piece of scum you are! Wear your feathers and parade around in the ring with your “little tighties”. What a piece of dog shit you are! Allah is going to grace you. You’re such a shit bird.

Hope this case is repealed and set set back on course. I’ve lost any respect for jurors in that state, hell, they’re worse then the ones out here in Kalifornia!

vietnam war protestor aka uss liberty aka deport republicans not the children

Don’t like non-unanimous jury verdicts ? It was conservatives who supported tort reform.

Let put this in simple terms, fuck you.

Congratulations, you got one right. Was it an accident?

Conservatives do support tort reform, but the liberals and progressives are the ones in charge and believe that the old woman who orders the HOT COFFEE should be able to sue because she didn’t expect it to be hot when she spilled it on her lap.

OAE CPO USN Ret

When I was a kid I went to a wrestling match that Jesse Ventura was part of. I tried to get his autograph as he was walking out to the ring. He took my program book and tossed it across the crowd. Maybe I should sue him for a dollar for the program book and 1.8Mil for pain and suffering inflicted on a 12 year old. Nahhhh, I flipped him off and called him a fucker then and it still holds true today.

nbcguy54

Believe it or not, there may be a silver lining to this. The publicity generated by this is going to do two things – generate more book sales AND hurt Ventura’s so-called reputation even more. Had he kept his trap shut, few outside of the Special Ops community would have even known or remembered that it was him that was mentioned in the book. With post trial publicity, everyone has been reminded and more folks are going to be interested in the book. I guess he didn’t think about that, but then again I doubt that there’s much that this has-been has thought about.

jonp

I’m with you on that one. I’ve seen multiple interviews with Kyle and his Widow about the book and the fight with Janos was not mentioned and a tiny part of the book anyways. No-one have talked with that has read the book remembers that part. It’s just not a big deal.
I’m pretty sure “The Body” will not be rolling into any Seal Reunion any time soon

Redacted1775

What do you do after you squander your fortune to get rid of the meteor crater on your chin? That’s right, sue the widow of a goddamn Navy SEAL. What a piece of shit. Fuck this guy.

Richard

I wasn’t there. I did not hear the witnesses. I have served on juries so I tend to accept their conclusions. However in this case, the legal standard seemed pretty high but Janos managed to reach it. In effect, the jury believed Janos’ witnesses and did not believe Taya’s witnesses.

I have also been sued so I know a little about that. One of the legal eagles on here can speak to this: is there appeal from this finding? I understand about appeal points but I was not there, I have not looked at a transcript, and I am not a lawyer so I don’t know if they have any. Are current cases and their potential appeal points kicked around on lawyer forums?

If I was Janos, I would send my lawyers to talk to Taya’s lawyers – settle for a small fraction of the jury award but with the agreement that Taya does not appeal – like $250k. They both have to pay to continue to play, Taya has more resources, and if she wins, Janos’ and his lawyers get nothing.

Alberich

You can appeal damage awards as being unreasonable. But normally you can’t appeal a finding of fact by a jury…or rather, if you try, you are almost never going to succeed. In fact the Seventh Amendment protects facts found by a jury….”no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law”…precisely so that legislatures and appellate courts can’t take the jury’s power away.

Technically you’re not appealing the jury’s finding. What happens is that, after evidence is in you ask for a “directed verdict”…saying the evidence is so overwhelming for you that no reasonable jury could find against you…or after they do find against you, you ask the judge for “judgment notwithstanding the verdict”…saying that their finding was so totally unsupported by the evidence that there’s no way you should have lost. Then when the judge denies your relief, you appeal his failure to do so.

But in a case like this, where you have a swearing contest, and they believe one swearer over another…the appeal doesn’t mean much.

clamsgotlegs

Interview on CBS This Morning. This won’t help his reputation anymore either, IMHO.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/former-minnesota-gov-jesse-ventura-on-defamation-suit-victory/

jonp

I was always in favor of Janos’s right to sue for redress if he thought he was wronged as that is our system. I was not in favor of his actually doing it because getting in a bar fight with other Seals and getting knocked on your ass is nothing to be ashamed of. Move fucking on Jackass.

I am stunned he won as every story I heard and read had multiple eyewitnesses that told the tale pretty much the same way. Apparently what we all heard and what was said in the court were two different things and 8 people agreed with Janos.

If Janos wants to salvage anything out of this he will then donate all of the award after his lawyer gets his cut to the charity of Taya’s choice and just take the correction in the front of the book and removal of the incident from further editions but I wouldn’t count on that happening.

ByrdMan

I would like to preface this by stating I think Ventura should have dropped the suit after Chris Kyle was murdered. I think any reputation he thought he had has been lost by continuing the suit against Talia Kyle. He’s a blowhard, a nutjob and a grandstanding fool.

Onward…

I don’t think the alleged event ever happened, and obviously at least 80% of the jury thought the same. I think that Jesse Ventura getting knocked out in southern California would generate a little more buzz. Especially in the days of Camera phones, instant messaging, MySpace, and celebrity gossip whores. All of which were in full swing in October of 2006. (MySpace had surpassed Google as the most visited website in the U.S. in June of 2006)

None of the “eyewitnesses” remembered it the same way. I understand that their stories wouldn’t match up exactly, but key pieces should match up, where it happened, what was said, etc.

Some say it happened on the patio, some say the parking lot, some say behind the patio. In the book, Kyle said one thing and in his video taped statement, he said another. Some said he talked bad about the president (who cares?), some say he bad mouthed the SEAL community, some say he didn’t say anything bad at all.

The only witness that claims that he heard Ventura’s statement and saw him get punched can remember nothing else from that night.

And those rumors in the Special Warfare Community? The court documents I read (http://www.scribd.com/doc/219635030/Jesse-Ventura-and-Taya-Kyle-s-Trial-Briefs) allude that those rumors were likely started by Kyle and his friends as they told stories over beers the next day. And then they told two friends, and they told two friends…

I think a lot of blame needs to be placed on the book publisher, who pushed the Ventura angle when Kyle wanted to downplay it and focus on other parts of the book. It wouldn’t surprise me if that caller to the Opie and Anthony show was a HarperCollins employee.

It’s all about the benjamins, baby.

MGySgtRet

It has all been said above, but fuck this tin foil hat wearing mother fucker in his fucking ear. Sue a widow. Get in the express lane for Hell Jesse. You fuck.

John Ginsberg

As a former Minnesotan who put up with Ventura for a governor, I used to think he was OK. Ventura’s attitude towards the losing side in this lawsuit is less then gentlemanly, making me think I’m an a*****e for ever thinking Ventura was OK. I think now Ventura is nothing more than a glory hound oxygen thief. I apologize to my military brothers and sisters for ever having good opinions regarding Ventura. I was wrong.

USMCE8Ret

Listening to the radio on my way into work this morning, a caller said something like “Suing the estate (wife) of Chris Kyle? By doing so, Janos has done more to ruin his own career and future earning potential.” Judging by the comments on this blog, other media sources and social media, I suppose there is a lot of truth in that statement. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Any predictions how this will shake out for Janos?

MGySgtRet

I can predict without fear of contradiction, that I would not piss on Jesse if he was on fire and said piss was the only liquid available to save his life.

clamsgotlegs

It is my opinion that his reputation was already tarnished before this alleged incident with Chris Kyle. The whole self-aggrandizing persona wrestler/politician/conspirocy show host made me turn the channel everytime he was on TV.

I believe his attitude post verdict will not help his case for any further TV shows/work.

It is also my opinion that had he dropped the case after Chris Kyle’s murder, he would have gone a long way towards “restoring” his reputation.

His reputation at this point, good or bad, is self-inflicted IMHO.

I can’t help but think back to the time he blasted a single mother while he was governor. IIRC, something like “get a job”. Take your own medicine. Get a real job like picking fruit or please go back to Mexico.

End rant.

Ex-PH2

His lawsuit was all about greed and lining his owm pockets, and not much else. He won the litigation, but the amount he actually receives may be considerably smaller than he anticipates. He certainly has done himself no good by presenting himself as a self-aggrandizing attention hog. And once this money (if he actually gets any) is gone, who can he sue next?