Mitchell Hamline School of Law Mitchell Hamline Open Access Faculty Scholarship 2019 Ventura v. Kyle and American Sniper; The Anatomy of a Public Figure’s Lawsuit Michael K. Steenson Mitchell Hamline School of Law,
[email protected] Publication Information 22 University of Denver Sports & Entertainment Law Journal, 81 (2019) Repository Citation Steenson, Michael K., "Ventura v. Kyle and American Sniper; The Anatomy of a Public Figure’s Lawsuit" (2019). Faculty Scholarship. 467. https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/facsch/467 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Mitchell Hamline Open Access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of Mitchell Hamline Open Access. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Ventura v. Kyle and American Sniper; The Anatomy of a Public Figure’s Lawsuit Abstract Chris Kyle's book, American Sniper, detailed his exploits as a prolific aN vy SEAL sniper. In a book subchapter Kyle detailed an encounter with a "Mr. Scruff aF ce" in a San Diego Bar. The book states that Ventura made certain statements that were demeaning of the United States and the Navy SEALS. Scruff aF ce was subsequently identified by Chris Kyle as Jesse Ventura, former governor of Minnesota. Ventura sued Chris Kyle for defamation, appropriation, and unjust enrichment. Relying on trial court documents, briefs, and the opinions in the case, this article probes those theories of recovery with an emphasis on the jury instructions, with a view to establishing clearer instructions in public figure lawsuits involving overlapping defamation and appropriation claims.