Hunter Biden Drops Lawsuit Over Laptop Data, Citing Financial Struggles and Personal Setbacks
Hunter Biden has moved to withdraw a high-profile lawsuit against former Trump aide Garrett Ziegler, citing a dramatic downturn in his financial circumstances that has made it increasingly difficult to sustain the legal battle.
In a filing submitted Wednesday to a federal court in California, Biden’s attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Hernan D. Vera to dismiss the 2023 lawsuit targeting Ziegler, the founder of conservative nonprofit Marco Polo. The suit centered on the unauthorized publication of data from a laptop alleged to have once belonged to Biden, including the creation of an online database containing 128,000 of his purported emails.
According to the filing, Biden is facing millions of dollars in debt and a sharp decline in income. His lawyers said that the situation worsened significantly after devastating wildfires struck the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, rendering his rental home uninhabitable and leaving him temporarily displaced.
“Mr. Biden has faced ongoing challenges securing a permanent residence and earning a living,” his legal team wrote. “Given the scope of his financial and personal setbacks, it is more appropriate for him to focus on relocating, repairing his living situation, and supporting his family rather than continuing this litigation.”
Ziegler, who previously served under Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro from 2019 to 2021, had unsuccessfully sought to have the case dismissed. Last year, Judge Vera ordered Ziegler to cover approximately $18,000 of Biden’s legal fees. Ziegler previously dismissed the suit as “completely frivolous.”
Neither Ziegler’s attorney nor Biden’s legal team commented on the latest developments.
Biden’s lawsuit claimed that Ziegler and Marco Polo had violated both federal and state laws by distributing his personal data online. The case attracted widespread attention due to the politically sensitive nature of the laptop contents and the broader scrutiny surrounding Biden’s personal and professional life.
In an accompanying statement filed Wednesday, Biden disclosed that he’s no longer able to borrow money, citing mounting debts and plummeting income. He had previously relied on sales of his artwork and memoir as primary income sources, but those revenue streams have dried up.
While he sold 27 art pieces for an average of $54,500 each in the years leading up to the lawsuit, he has sold just one piece for $36,000 since. Similarly, sales of his memoir have fallen sharply—from over 3,100 copies sold between April and September 2023 to just around 1,100 in the following six months.
Biden’s attempt to establish a legal defense fund also failed to gain traction, adding to his financial burdens—an issue NBC News has extensively covered.
In a parallel legal saga, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty last year to federal tax charges and was convicted on separate federal gun charges. His sentencing in the gun case was scheduled for December before President Joe Biden issued a pardon.
