A federal judge ruled that the Nevada court lacked personal jurisdiction over Jim Stewartson
Credit: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- FBI Director Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against Jim Stewartson was dismissed on July 25
- A federal judge found the Nevada court lacked personal jurisdiction over Stewartson
- Stewartson celebrated the dismissal on X, referencing several insults at the center of the case
FBI Director Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against a man who called him a “chud” and “googly-eyed” has been dismissed.
Chief U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon granted Jim Stewartson’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit on July 25, finding that the Nevada court lacked personal jurisdiction over him, according to court documents.
Patel and the Kash Foundation sued Stewartson over a series of allegedly defamatory statements he made on X and Substack between June 2021 and May 2023.
Among the statements at the center of the lawsuit were claims that Patel “attempted to overthrow the government,” “planned January 6,” was “guilty of sedition” and was a “Kremlin asset,” as well as an allegation that Patel and his foundation paid people to “lie to Congress,” according to the court filing.
Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty
Stewartson asked the court to throw out the judgment and dismiss the case, arguing he didn’t have enough ties to Nevada for the court to have jurisdiction over him, and Gordon ultimately agreed.
“Regardless of who bears the burden of proof, Stewartson did not have minimum contacts sufficient to establish personal jurisdiction,” Gordon wrote.
The judge found that while Stewartson’s posts were accessible in Nevada and directed at Patel, a Nevada resident, Stewartson had not sufficiently targeted Nevada or a “Nevadan audience.”
Gordon further ruled that simply tagging Patel in posts was not enough to establish a connection to Nevada, noting that the posts had “nothing to do with Nevada activities or entities.”
The judge did, however, criticize Stewartson’s conduct during the litigation, noting that he was aware of the lawsuit and “may have attempted to avoid service” after multiple attempts to serve him at his address.
“He has wasted the plaintiffs’ and the court’s time, and I do not commend his actions,” Gordon wrote.
The order also referenced a post Stewartson made after the default judgment was entered, in which he called Patel a “Googly-eyed Kremlin bitch” and said Patel would have to return to Nevada for a trial where Stewartson would explain why he was “dead serious” when he called the FBI director a “chud.”
Following the dismissal, Stewartson reacted to the ruling on X.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“✍️ PSA: Now that my case is settled, you are free to refer to @FBIDirectorKash as a ‘chud,’ a ‘googly-eyed Kremlin bitch,’ and a ‘traitor’ without fear of legal repercussions!” Stewartson wrote. “You’re welcome! 😁👍🏼.”
The dismissal comes as Patel is pursuing a separate $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic over claims the magazine made about his alleged drinking on the job and concerns within the bureau about his ability to lead, including during the investigation into Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Credit: SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty
Patel has denied the claims, calling them “false and obviously fabricated allegations” in the lawsuit, which was filed on April 20.
The White House has supported Patel, who Donald Trump appointed last year, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling him “a critical player on the Administration’s law and order team” in a previous statement to PEOPLE.
The Atlantic has stood by its reporting, saying in a statement that “we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”
It’s unclear whether Patel is looking to refile the suit in another state that would have personal jurisdiction.
Read the full article here
