Kash Patel Defamation Lawsuit Tossed After Blogger Challenges Nevada Filing

FBI Director Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against blogger Jim Stewartson has been thrown out, wiping away a default judgment that had previously awarded Patel and the Kash Foundation $250,000.

Patel filed the lawsuit in Nevada in June 2023, seeking $10 million in damages over Stewartson’s online posts. The suit cited X posts in which Stewartson accused Patel of being a “Kremlin asset,” “sedition,” helping plan the January 6 attack on the Capitol and helping ensure the Capitol was “undefended” before the riot. Stewartson also called Patel a “blatantly incompetent chud” who should be in custody.

Stewartson initially did not respond to the lawsuit, and U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon issued a default judgment in August 2025. Stewartson later moved to dismiss the case, arguing he had not been properly served and had no meaningful ties to Nevada.

In a July 25 ruling, Gordon sided with Stewartson on jurisdiction.

“The plaintiffs’ allegations arise out of Stewartson’s allegedly defamatory posts on X and Substack, which are about the plaintiffs, who are Nevadan residents,” Gordon wrote.

But the judge said Patel and the Kash Foundation had not shown that Stewartson targeted a Nevada audience.

“Tagging Patel, who happens to be a Nevadan resident, in posts that have nothing to do with Nevada activities or entities does not target a Nevadan audience, and therefore does not create a contact between Stewartson and Nevada,” Gordon wrote.

“What happened in this case was just a procedural issue,” said Robert J. “Bob” McWhirter, a constitutional scholar, attorney, and author of Fixing the Framers’ Failure.

“But, it underscores the incompetency of Kash Patel and his attorneys,” McWhirter added. “A basic thing any lawyer should know, especially Mr. Patel as FBI Director, is how to properly serve a lawsuit in the correct jurisdiction.”

“There is, of course, some question about what would be the correct jurisdiction for speech that occurs online,” McWhirter noted.

“It can certainly be difficult for somebody who feels wronged by speech to find the place to file a lawsuit,” he continued. “But, that’s the exact value and danger of free speech on the Internet.”

Stewartson celebrated the dismissal on X and continued mocking Patel after the ruling.

“PSA: Now that my case is settled, you are free to refer to Kash Patel as a ‘chud,’ a ‘googly-eyed Kremlin b---h,’ and a ‘traitor’ without fear of legal repercussions! You’re welcome,” he wrote.