Hunter Biden Says He’s Poor, Can’t Find a Place To Live as He Asks To Withdraw Lawsuit Against Ex-Trump Aide Who Published Laptop’s Content

Hunter Biden is asking to withdraw his lawsuit against a former White House aide, Garrett Ziegler, whom he accused of “illegally” accessing and sharing the contents of his infamous laptop because he “does not have the resources to continue to litigate this matter.”In a court filing on Wednesday, attorneys for President Biden’s surviving son asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed. Mr. Ziegler, who worked at the White House during Mr. Trump’s first term, maintained a comprehensive, searchable database where the public could access the contents of the laptop, including obscene photos and videos of Hunter Biden using crack cocaine and consorting with women believed to be prostitutes.Hunter Biden “has suffered a significant downturn in his income and has significant debt in the millions of dollars range,” his legal filing said. “Moreover, this lack of resources has been exacerbated after the fires in the Pacific Palisades in early January upended Plaintiff’s life by rendering his rental house unlivable for an extended period of time.”The filing also said their client has “had difficulty in finding a new permanent place to live as well as finding it difficult to earn a living,” and “must focus his time and resources dealing with his relocation, the damage he has incurred due to the fires, and paying for his family’s living expenses as opposed to this litigation.”In January, the luxury rental house where Hunter Biden lived with his second wife, Melissa Cohen, and his fourth child, Beau, burned to the ground.In a letter submitted with the filing affirming his financial situation, Hunter Biden said, “Since late 2023 and through today, my income has decreased significantly.”Hunter Biden has made his living in recent years as a self-trained artist. As evidence of his decreased revenue, he noted he sold 27 paintings “in the 2 to 3 years prior to December 2023” at an “average price of $54,481.48.” However, he said that after that time period, he only sold one piece of art for $36,000.Hunter Biden’s art sales became a source of controversy and scrutiny while the older Mr. Biden was in office. In 2021, a New York City gallery sought to sell his paintings for as much as $500,000 a piece, which raised ethics concerns from observers who questioned whether exorbitant prices were being paid for the amateur art to curry favor with the president. Additionally, sales of the younger Mr. Biden’s addiction memoir, “Beautiful Things,” dropped off. The letter said that between April 2023 and September 2023, 3,161 copies of his book were sold, but in the six months after that period, “only approximately 1,100 books were sold.” Because of the “positive feedback and reviews” of his memoir and art, he expected he would be raking in funds through paid speaking engagements. However, he said, “That has not happened.”“This significant decrease in revenue has also impacted my ability to pay off my significant debt, which has been reported in the press as being several million dollars. As a result of this, I am not in a position where I can borrow money,” the letter explained. “While I was aware that my financial position had significantly deteriorated over time, it was not until the past month that I realized I had to take drastic actions to alleviate this situation.”The son of the 46th president said he has other civil actions pending, which he is “assessing” on a case-by-case basis. He is also suing the proprietor of the laptop repair shop in Delaware, John Mac Isaac, who gave the laptop, after it was abandoned, to Mayor Giuliani, who then supplied it to the New York Post. Additionally, Hunter Biden is suing Fox News over a mock trial, presided over by the TV judge Joe Brown, of the first son that aired on Fox’s streaming service, Fox Nation. He first filed the lawsuit in July but quickly dropped it, only to file a similar lawsuit in October. Hunter Biden’s lawyers did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication. Mr. Ziegler’s legal team also did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment.However, Mr. Ziegler shared a post on X about the request to withdraw the lawsuit. He included a GIF from the cherished film, “A Christmas Story,” with the words, “SAY ‘UNCLE.’”The details of Hunter Biden’s financial situation come after it was reported that roughly 200 pieces of his art had been destroyed by the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles in January. A source close to the Biden family told the New York Post the artwork was valued at “millions of dollars.” It had apparently been stored in a storage facility near the home of the former first son’s lawyer, Kevin Morris.Mr. Morris had previously loaned Hunter Biden $5 million to help him pay his tax bill. The wealthy attorney, who made a fortune from his work with the creators of the television program “South Park,” had been supporting Hunter Biden financially for years, including paying his rent and his legal bills. Yet last year, he withdrew his support, saying the well had run dry.At the time of the report of the destroyed artwork, there were some questions about whether the pieces were insured and whether their destruction could provide a financial windfall if insurance companies paid out millions of dollars. That would depend on the nature of the insurance policy. The art market in general has been in freefall in recent months, and the value of Hunter Biden’s paintings is believed to have plummeted now that his father is no longer in power. Mr. Hunter’s art dealer also dropped him last year.In June 2024, Hunter Biden was found guilty on three felony counts related to his possession of a firearm, which he acquired after lying on a federal form about whether he was an “unlawful user of, or addicted to” narcotic drugs. In September 2024, he pleaded guilty to federal tax charges.However, in December, he received a sweeping pardon from his father for the charges he pleaded to and was convicted of as well as for “offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”

Hunter Biden Says He’s Poor, Can’t Find a Place To Live as He Asks To Withdraw Lawsuit Against Ex-Trump Aide Who Published Laptop’s Content

Hunter Biden Says He’s Poor, Can’t Find a Place To Live as He Asks To Withdraw Lawsuit Against Ex-Trump Aide Who Published Laptop’s Content

More from the New York Sun

Dolly Parton’s Artistry Transcends Her Legend

DOJ Says Kennedy Center May Be Demolished If Trump’s Name Not Added to the Building

In Major Victory for Trump, Darline Graham Wins South Carolina Republican Primary for Full Term in the Senate

As 11,000 Exemption Bids Pour In, City Delays Pied-à-Terre Deadline Again

Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro Backtracks on Data Centers and AI Growth, Threatening Keystone State’s Tech Boom

How Chatbots Are Sending Users Spiraling Into a Delusion Dubbed ‘Sycophantic AI’

Democratic Congresswoman Urges Congressional Leaders To Let Lawmakers Add Pictures Into Legislation

The Met’s Understated Madonna: A Rare Leonardo da Vinci Masterpiece Now Discreetly in Full View

More from the New York Sun

Dolly Parton’s Artistry Transcends Her Legend

DOJ Says Kennedy Center May Be Demolished If Trump’s Name Not Added to the Building

In Major Victory for Trump, Darline Graham Wins South Carolina Republican Primary for Full Term in the Senate

As 11,000 Exemption Bids Pour In, City Delays Pied-à-Terre Deadline Again

Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro Backtracks on Data Centers and AI Growth, Threatening Keystone State’s Tech Boom

How Chatbots Are Sending Users Spiraling Into a Delusion Dubbed ‘Sycophantic AI’

Democratic Congresswoman Urges Congressional Leaders To Let Lawmakers Add Pictures Into Legislation

The Met’s Understated Madonna: A Rare Leonardo da Vinci Masterpiece Now Discreetly in Full View