According to a judge, the lawsuit can still move forward...against his widow.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan reportedly wrote in his decision concerning Ventura’s defamation suit, “(if) a party dies and the claim is not extinguished, the court may order substitution of the proper party.”
Boylan subsequently named Taya Kyle, executor of her husband’s estate, as replacement defendant, the StarTribune of Minneapolis reports.
Ventura, whose resume includes noted turns as Minnesota governor, WWF wrestler, Navy SEAL, and Hollywood actor, sued Kyle over an unflattering anecdote the sniper slipped into his 2012 book.
Specifically, Kyle alleged that during a 2006 tete-a-tete, the duo duked it out at a California bar after Ventura badmouthed the second Iraq War, the United States, in general, as well as then-President George W. Bush.
It's funny how Ventura thinks Kyle could have defamed him more than he's already done so himself. His lawsuit against a grieving widow, who has two young children, further proves this point.
In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan in June, Ventura said he feels "totally fine with going to court over it" and is simply trying "clear his name" just in case he decides to run for political office again.
Taya has been busy promoting Kyle's second book,American Gun: A History of the U.S. in 10 Firearms. She recently spoke at the National Rifle Association annual meeting in Houston.