American Sniper (book)

In July 2014, the sub-chapter "Punching Out Scruff Face" was removed from later editions of the book, after a three-week trial in U.S. Federal Court wherein the jury found that the author, Chris Kyle, had unjustly enriched himself by defaming plaintiff Jesse Ventura. In the book, Kyle described blackening the eye of "Scruff Face", whom he later identified in media interviews as Jesse Ventura.[10] The jury awarded Ventura $500,000 for defamation and $1,345,477.25 for unjust enrichment.[11][12] In December 2014, attorneys for Ventura filed a separate lawsuit against HarperCollins, the parent company of the publisher, for failing to check the accuracy of the story it used in publicity. The suit alleges that the false account used in publicity had "increased sales" and generated "millions of dollars for HarperCollins."[13] On June 13, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the verdict on the defamation count, remanding the case for a new trial on that count, and reversed the unjust enrichment verdict outright.[14] The court cited legal and procedural errors in the trial without deciding whether Kyle's allegations were true or not. In December 2017, Ventura settled with Kyle's estate and dropped his suit against HarperCollins.[15]

Some sources claimed Kyle's family had said all his book proceeds were donated to veterans' charities. Salon and National Review disputed the donation amount, asserting that around 2 percent ($52,000) went to the charities, while Kyle's family received $3 million.[16][17]

In May 2016, The Intercept claimed that Kyle's autobiography "embellished" his military record, and that he had been warned by Navy officials about the inaccuracies before publication.[18][19][20] Others, including co-author Scott McEwen, disputed this.[21] On May 28, The Hollywood Reporter did an analysis, concluding that the newly released internal Navy documents were inconclusive — that the document that typically is the definitive record of military service matched Kyle's claims and that the Navy had not yet publicly stated this document or the facts within it were incorrect. Kyle's DD Form 214 listed a total of two Silver Stars and six Bronze Stars, more than he claimed in his book.[22] On July 8, 2016, the U.S. Navy corrected Kyle's DD-214 regarding some decorations listed on his original discharge document.[23] The Navy revised it to one Silver Star and four Bronze Stars with valor.[23] The Navy said "Kyle would have played no role in the production of his personnel files other than signing the DD-214 upon his discharge" and "[a]fter thoroughly reviewing all available records, the Navy determined an error was made" and "issued a corrected copy of the DD-214, which accurately reflects Kyle's years of honorable and extraordinary service."[23]