In his book American Sniper, under the heading "Punching Out Scruff Face," slain Navy SEAL Chris Kyle claimed that in a 2006 he got into a bar fight with "Scruff Face," a "celebrity" veteran. Kyle claimed the fight started because Scruff Face was insulting then-President George Bush, and then said Kyle "deserved to lose a few guys." Mr. Face, it turns out, is supposed to be Jesse "The Body" Ventura, former professional wrestler, Minnesota governor, Predator victim and current litigant. Ventura claims the fight never happened and brought a defamation suit against Kyle a year ago.
That was, of course, before Kyle was shot dead at a Texas gun range. Since then, there has been a national outpouring of sympathy for the murdered SEAL and his widow, Taya. Even Bill O'Reilly has gone out of his way to advise Ventura to drop the lawsuit, saying on air "If he wants to restore his reputation, then he should drop the case. That's how I feel, Jesse. I hope you got the message there."
But Ventura has chosen not to act on O'Reilly's counsel, and Monday his attorneys petitioned a federal judge to proceed in the lawsuit with Taya Kyle as the defendant, claiming, "Although Kyle is deceased, his 'American Sniper' book continues to sell and it is soon to be made into a movie."
In an interview with O'Reilly, Ventura said he doesn't feel uncomfortable suing Kyle's widow because her "insurance company is paying for the whole thing anyway." Taya Kyle claims that, while her insurance company is helping to pay for her legal fees, the restitution Ventura is after would come from her own estate.
"Continuing this action will serve no useful purpose, and likely will promote public perception of Jesse Ventura as someone who has little or no regard for the feelings and welfare of surviving family members of deceased war heroes," Kyle's attorney wrote in a statement.
That's lawyer for "Jesse Ventura is being a humongous dick."
