Jesse Ventura said the $1.8 million he was just awarded in a defamation suit he first filed against slain Navy SEAL Chris Kyle — but carried out and finished against widow Taya and her two children — would go for his attorney fees.
He also suggested during a recent televised interview that more legal action could come from his defamation claim stemming from Mr. Kyle’s book, “American Sniper,” The Blaze reported.
When asked on CBS “This Morning” what his plans for his award were, he simply said: “Pay my lawyers.”
Mr. Ventura also seemed to go for a sympathy stroke, adding: “Like I said, I didn’t have an insurance company paying the freight for me. I had to pay my own,” The Blaze reported. Previously, he had said that Mrs. Kyle “had all her attorney fees paid by insurance.”
Mr. Ventura continued to cast himself as a victim in the case, claiming his sole goal was to get the “truth” out there and clear his name.
“I’m already damaged,” Mr. Ventura said, The Blaze reported. “I can’t go to a SEAL reunion anymore. That was the one place where I always felt safe. I can’t go there anymore without looking over my shoulder now wondering who is going to come after me next.”
When asked about his next moves, Mr. Ventura suggested more legal action could be on the way. He said his upcoming plans are to “visit HarperCollins” for publishing a book absent conducting proper “due diligence” on Mr. Kyle’s story, which never actually referenced the former wrestler by name, The Blaze reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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