Ventura Petitions Appeals Court for Rehearing in Defamation Case

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura is petitioning for a rehearing of a federal court's decision to toss out a $1.8 million verdict awarded to him in a defamation lawsuit against the estate of "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle.

Ventura's attorney, David Olsen, filed the petition Monday appealing the June decision by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It ruled, in part, that Olsen should not have suggested during the 2014 trial that insurance bought by the memoir's publisher would cover a defamation award.

Ventura's attorney argues that the ruling placed too much emphasis on those comments. Ventura, a former SEAL and ex-pro wrestler, said Kyle's claim that he punched him at a California bar in 2006 for offensive comments about SEALs ruined his reputation in the tight-knit SEAL community.