Kash Patel Loses Defamation Suit Against Blogger
India-West News Desk
LAS VEGAS, NV – A federal judge has ended FBI Director Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against a blogger, handing Patel a setback in one of several legal actions he has brought against journalists and online critics in recent years.
Nevada Chief District Judge Andrew Gordon ruled July 28 that the court did not have personal jurisdiction over blogger Jim Stewartson, dismissing Patel’s $10 million lawsuit without addressing the underlying defamation claims.
Patel sued Stewartson in 2023 over a series of social media posts that accused him of being a “Kremlin asset,” labeled him a “blatantly incompetent chud,” and alleged he had participated in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Stewartson also referred to Patel as a “googly-eyed Kremlin bitch,” a phrase that appeared in a footnote of the court’s dismissal order.
The case had briefly favored Patel after Stewartson failed to respond to the complaint, resulting in a default judgment awarding Patel $250,000 in August 2025. Stewartson later asked the court to set aside that judgment, arguing that he had no meaningful connection to Nevada and therefore should not have been sued there.
Judge Gordon agreed that Nevada lacked jurisdiction over Stewartson, bringing the case to a close.
Following the ruling, Stewartson reacted on X, saying he appreciated that the judge had included the phrase “googly-eyed Kremlin bitch” in the written decision. In another post, he claimed the dismissal meant people could use terms such as “chud,” “googly-eyed Kremlin bitch,” and “traitor” to describe Patel without fear of being sued.
The lawsuit was filed before Patel became FBI director. According to ‘The New Republic,’ it is one of six defamation cases Patel has brought against journalists and commentators over the past seven years.
His latest lawsuit seeks $250 million from ‘The Atlantic’ over an article that alleged he consumed excessive amounts of alcohol while at work. The article drew national and international headlines.
