The film American Sniper starring Bradley Cooper is based on the best-selling Iraq war memoir, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, by Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. After Kyle’s death–he was tragically shot by a fellow veteran at a shooting range–former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura sued the estate of Chris Kyle. In the book, Kyle claimed that he punched Ventura (aka Scuffy Face) at a bar for making disparaging comments about Navy SEALs. Ventura denied the claim and recently won a lawsuit which means Kyle’s widow, Taya Kyle, has to pay most of the $1.8 million in damages to Ventura.
Ventura recently said of Kyle’s widow, on WCCO Radio: “She’s making millions right now. She’s already made millions off the book…she probably has more money than I do.” Ventura is currently worth $6 million. Before the book defamed him, Ventura claims, he was worth $11 million. Ventura is now suing Harper Collins who published the book.