This is a BIG case in Minnesota today and, as you will hear, a big case across the country. The late Chris Kyle wrote in his best seller, American Sniper, that he once got into a barroom fight with Jesse Ventura and knocked him down. He said Jesse said terrible things about Pres Bush, the war in Iraq and that you guys deserve to lose a few. Ventura filed a defamation suit, one he was certain to lose. Both sides put on witnesses, including the former Governor and the widow of the author, who contradicted each other. And then this.... Hokey. Smokes. Jesse wins? Jesse WINS! $1.8 million, no less. So much dough he bought pizza for the press and had it delivered to the courthouse. A week ago yesterday I said that while I believed Jesse was telling the truth, I couldnt see how he would win. My prediction was that the Kyle estate wins and that the verdict wouldnt take 8 hours. So....I was wrong about that. Put another way, I was wrong about being right, but right I was. Now, imagine for a minute you are John Borger, attorney for the Chris Kyle estate. And in his chambers, the judge says he has a piece of paper. On it is what the verdict will be if both sides agree to go with a majority but not unanimous decision. Say yes, and hell turn it over and the decision will stick. Say no and the jury is hung. Would you make that deal? Would you have said, Turn it over, judge and Ill bet they ruled in favor of my client. Were I John Borger, I would have said yes. We would have HAD to have at least a majority, right? And if you could buy some insurance from the other side, that you only needed 3 votes to not lose, wouldnt you make that deal? So roll the dice Borger did. And he lost. He didnt get three votes. How, you might ask, do only two from a jury of ten see it Kyles way? Amazing. Amazing. Eight jurors didnt believe any of the Kyle witnesses, some of them in uniform, or Taya Kyle, the widow. Thats justice in America. Maybe sometimes we get it right. twincities/crime/ci_26237278/jesse-ventura-wins-1-8m-defamation-case
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 19:56:52 +0000
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