Hunter Biden Seeks to Drop Laptop Lawsuit Citing Financial Strain
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, is seeking to dismiss his lawsuit against a former White House aide, Garrett Ziegler, who published contents allegedly originating from Biden’s personal laptop. The decision to drop the legal action stems from what Biden’s legal team describes as a significant downturn in his financial situation, coupled with personal challenges including displacement due to wildfires.
Documents filed in Los Angeles this week provide a glimpse into the financial difficulties Biden claims to be facing. These court filings, obtained by Fox News, paint a picture of a man struggling with diminished income, substantial debt, and the disruption caused by the recent wildfires that impacted his Los Angeles residence.
The initial lawsuit against Ziegler was filed in September 2023, aiming to hold the former White House aide accountable for allegedly disseminating private information obtained from Biden’s laptop. The contents of the laptop, which surfaced in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, sparked considerable controversy and fueled political attacks against the Biden family.
However, according to the recent motion filed by his legal team, Hunter Biden no longer possesses the financial resources to continue pursuing the litigation. "Plaintiff has suffered a significant downturn in his income and has significant debt in the millions of dollars range," the court documents state, suggesting that the costs associated with maintaining the lawsuit have become prohibitive given his current financial circumstances.
Adding to his financial woes, the documents reveal that Biden’s rented residence in Los Angeles has been rendered "unlivable" due to the wildfires that swept through the Pacific Palisades area earlier this year. "Moreover, this lack of resources has been exacerbated after the fires in the Pacific Palisades in early January upended Plaintiff’s life by rendering his rental house unlivable for an extended period of time and, like many others in that situation, Plaintiff has had difficulty in finding a new permanent place to live as well as finding it difficult to earn a living," the filing explains.
The documents emphasize that Biden must now prioritize his time and financial resources toward addressing his relocation needs, managing the damage caused by the fires, and covering his family’s living expenses. These pressing concerns, his legal team argues, take precedence over the ongoing litigation against Ziegler.
In a separate document filed alongside the motion to dismiss, Biden himself provided a written statement detailing the decline in his income and offering insights into his earnings from artwork and book sales.
Biden stated that his income "has decreased significantly" in recent months. He provided specific figures regarding his art sales, revealing that in the two to three years prior to December 2023, he sold 27 pieces of art at an average price of $54,481.48 per piece. This amounts to a potential income of nearly $1.5 million from art sales during that period. However, since December 2023, he states he has only sold one piece of art for $36,000.
He further elaborated on the decline in his book sales. According to his statement, 3,161 copies of his book were sold in the six-month period leading up to September 30, 2023. In the subsequent six months, however, book sales plummeted to approximately 1,100 copies.
Biden also indicated that he had anticipated generating income from paid speaking engagements and appearances following the release of his book. However, he noted that these opportunities have not materialized to the extent he had hoped. “but that has not happened,” Biden wrote.
This significant decline in revenue, Biden explained, has had a direct impact on his ability to manage his substantial debt, which he acknowledged has been widely reported as being in the millions of dollars. "This significant decrease in revenue has also impacted my ability to pay off my significant debt, which as has been reported in the press as being several million dollars. As a result of this, I am not in a position where I can borrow money."
The motion to dismiss and Biden’s personal statement provide a detailed account of the financial challenges he claims to be facing. The combination of reduced income from art and book sales, the unexpected expenses associated with the wildfires, and the burden of significant debt appear to have created a situation where continuing the lawsuit against Ziegler is no longer financially viable for Biden.
The implications of this development remain to be seen. If the court grants Biden’s motion to dismiss, the lawsuit against Ziegler will be dropped, potentially ending the legal battle surrounding the dissemination of the laptop contents. It remains uncertain whether Biden might pursue legal action against Ziegler at a later date, should his financial situation improve.
This development also comes amidst ongoing scrutiny of Hunter Biden’s business dealings and legal troubles, including a special counsel investigation into his tax affairs. The details revealed in these court documents add another layer of complexity to the public narrative surrounding Hunter Biden and his personal finances. The Weiss report, a separate matter referenced, highlights the issue of unpaid taxes but refrains from attributing it solely to drug use.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Hunter Biden’s legal team for further comment on this matter.
