Hunter Biden has requested a federal judge to dismiss his lawsuit against a former aide to Trump, which centers on the release of materials from a laptop purportedly belonging to the former president’s son. He argues that his dwindling financial resources have hindered his ability to pursue legal action.
In documents submitted to a federal court in California, Biden’s attorneys appealed to U.S. District Judge Hernan D. Vera to dismiss the 2023 lawsuit against Garrett Ziegler. They indicated that Biden has faced a significant decrease in income and is burdened with substantial debt amounting to millions of dollars.
Biden’s financial situation has reportedly deteriorated further due to wildfires in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, which rendered his rental property uninhabitable for a prolonged period. His lawyers noted that he has struggled to secure a new permanent residence and has found it challenging to earn a living. They argued that instead of engaging in this litigation, Biden should concentrate on relocating, repairing the damage to his rental home, and managing his family’s living expenses.
Ziegler’s attorney did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment on Wednesday, and Biden’s legal team opted not to comment on the court filing.
In September 2023, Biden initiated legal action against Ziegler and his company, Marco Polo, claiming they breached federal and state laws by establishing a searchable online database containing 128,000 emails allegedly sent by him.
Ziegler, who served as an aide to Trump’s trade advisor Peter Navarro from February 2019 to January 2021, sought to have the case dismissed, but the presiding judge rejected his motion. Last year, Ziegler described the lawsuit as “completely frivolous.”
In September, the judge ordered Ziegler to reimburse Biden for legal fees amounting to approximately $18,000.
In a related court filing on Wednesday, Biden stated thatBiden highlighted a significant drop in book sales, stating that in the six months following the lawsuit’s initiation, he sold approximately 1,100 copies of his book, a decrease from over 3,100 sales recorded between April and September 2023.
His financial struggles and efforts to secure additional funding, including a legal defense fund that ultimately did not succeed, have received extensive coverage from NBC News. Last year, Biden pleaded guilty in a federal tax case after being convicted on federal gun charges. He was on the verge of sentencing for the gun charges in December when President Joe Biden granted him a pardon.