Hunter Biden Urges Federal Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit, Citing Financial Hardships
Hunter Biden has petitioned a federal judge to dismiss his lawsuit against a former Trump aide, citing financial difficulties as a major obstacle to continuing the legal battle. The lawsuit involves the dissemination of information from a laptop purportedly linked to him.
Legal representatives for Biden filed a request in a California federal court, asking U.S. District Judge Hernan D. Vera to terminate the lawsuit filed in 2023 against Garrett Ziegler. The filing states that Biden’s earnings "have dropped significantly," and he is burdened with substantial financial obligations totaling millions of dollars.
Biden’s attorneys further noted that the wildfires in Pacific Palisades exacerbated his financial struggles, rendering his rental home "unlivable for an extended period of time."
According to the court documents, Biden “has had difficulty in finding a new permanent place to live as well as finding it difficult to earn a living.” His legal team argued that he should prioritize addressing his relocation, property damage, and his family’s financial needs "rather than this litigation."
Ziegler’s legal counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Biden’s attorneys declined to provide any remarks regarding the court filing.
Biden had sued Ziegler and his organization, Marco Polo, in September 2023, alleging violations of both state and federal laws. The lawsuit claimed that Ziegler attempted to create an online searchable database containing 128,000 emails allegedly linked to Biden.
Ziegler, who previously served as an aide to Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro from 2019 to 2021, had sought to have the case dismissed, though the presiding judge initially denied the motion.
In previous statements, Ziegler labeled the lawsuit as “completely frivolous.”
In a separate legal decision, the court ordered Ziegler in September to pay approximately $18,000 in legal fees for Biden’s attorneys.
In an additional court filing on Wednesday, Biden declared that he is deeply in debt and "not in a position where I can borrow money."
Biden mentioned that while he had anticipated generating income through paid speaking engagements and appearances based on his art and memoir, which had previously served as his primary revenue streams, "but that has not happened."
He also addressed the decline in sales of his artwork, noting that in the two to three years preceding the lawsuit, he had sold 27 pieces for an average of $54,500 each. However, since the legal action commenced, he has only managed to sell a single piece for $36,000.
Additionally, Biden highlighted a sharp drop in book sales. From April to September 2023—when the lawsuit was initiated—he reportedly sold more than 3,100 copies of his book. However, in the subsequent six months, that number dwindled to approximately 1,100 copies.
Biden was previously convicted on federal gun charges and in a tax-related case. He was scheduled for sentencing in December regarding the gun case, but President Joe Biden granted him an early release.
Following a presidential pardon, Hunter Biden has also been accused of owing more than $300,000 in unpaid rent to past landlords.
Shaun Maguire, a partner at venture capital firm Sequoia, commented on the matter via social media, asserting that Biden’s outstanding rent debt amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“So what happens to the $300k+ in back pay rent that Hunter Biden owes my family from 2019-2020? Is that pardoned now? Thanks Joe,” Maguire posted on X.
On Sunday, President Biden issued a "full and unconditional pardon" for Hunter Biden, covering any federal offenses committed or potentially committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024. Hunter Biden had faced federal charges related to tax issues and accusations of providing false information regarding his substance abuse history on a firearm background check form. This decision represents a reversal from President Biden’s previous stance that he would not pardon his son.
Maguire further claimed that Hunter Biden had been a tenant at his family’s Venice, California, property, failing to pay rent for over a year. “Hunter was our tenant in Venice, CA. Didn’t pay rent for over a year. Tried to pay w/ art made from his own feces. Absolute s– bag,” Maguire alleged, stating in a follow-up post that the rent was $25,000 per month for the house located along the city’s canals, according to Fox Business.
He further asserted that Hunter "changed the locks and used Secret Service to enforce. We had no access to the property."
When asked by a social media user if his family had attempted to evict Hunter Biden due to the unpaid rent, Maguire replied that pursuing legal action against the Bidens was a daunting prospect, stating that they are "kind of a scary family to go after."