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... U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson had already indicated at a hearing in January that Byrne faced punitive damages after failing to defend himself against the claims by former President Joe Biden's son. Byrne had claimed Biden had sought an $800 million bribe from Iran sometime in 2021.

"Here, the evidence is clear and convincing that defendant has engaged in intentional misrepresentation with conscious disregard towards plaintiff's rights," Wilson said. "Defendant's defamation went far beyond mere negligence. In fact, defendant has admitted that after the offending article was published, defendant repeatedly reposted the article across social media platforms and encouraged his followers on those platforms to promote it further."

The judge, a Ronald Reagan appointee, also cited Byrne's persistent delaying tactics during the litigation, including by derailing a trial scheduled last July in downtown Los Angeles by firing his legal team on the first day of trial and failing to show up in person as his then-attorney had promised the judge that he would.

"Defendant has sustained a campaign of dilatory tactics that have indefinitely extended this years-long litigation, while denying plaintiff his day in court," Wilson wrote. "This was not a product of excusable neglect but rather of coordinated strategy." ...