


Hunter Biden filed a lawsuit against a former Trump administration aide in California federal court Wednesday, alleging he illegally posted contents of his infamous "laptop from hell."
The lawsuit accuses Garrett Ziegler, his company, and 10 unnamed defendants of improperly "accessing, tampering with, manipulating, altering, copying and damaging computer data that they do not own” in violation of the Golden State's computer fraud laws.
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"By engaging in the conduct alleged herein, Defendants have engaged in unfair and unlawful activities in violation of the [Computer Fraud and Abuse Act] and California Penal Code section 502," attorneys for President Joe Biden's son wrote.
The suit focuses on what conservatives have dubbed the "laptop from hell" the younger Biden apparently left at a Wilmington, Delaware, repair shop. It was discovered by Republican operatives in the weeks before the 2020 election and has become the focal point of corruption allegations pointing to Hunter Biden.
Ziegler has publicly stated his nonprofit research firm Marco Polo posted online content over the past two years, including photos and videos, emails, text messages, and other documents from Hunter Biden's iCloud backup.
The suit alleges Ziegler and the 10 other co-defendants have ignored requests to stop releasing information and return it to the younger Biden, arguing such behavior showed a dedication to "continue violating the law."
Hunter Biden wants a jury trial to determine damages and an injunction to block Ziegler from continuing to share information online about the laptop's contents, copies of which have been shared with numerous news outlets, including the Washington Examiner.
The president's son argued the data on the computer appears to have been manipulated both before and after Ziegler obtained it. The lawsuit contends it is "unclear" how Ziegler gained access to the laptop but notes "there is no dispute that Defendants have, to at least some extent, accessed, tampered with, manipulated, altered, copied and damaged Plaintiff’s data."
Ziegler was also an aide to Peter Navarro, a former White House trade adviser for Trump who was convicted last week of contempt of Congress for failure to comply with a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee.
The lawsuit notes that Ziegler made an appearance on Steve Bannon's podcast and claimed to have obtained a copy of a hard drive from an associate of the since-indicted Rudy Giuliani, the former president's attorney facing racketeering charges with Trump and 18 others over alleged attempts to subvert the election in Georgia.
Prosecutors who have engaged in a yearslong investigation against the president's son announced last week they plan to indict Hunter Biden over outstanding tax and gun charges before the end of September.
Under a proposed plea arrangement, Hunter Biden would have pleaded guilty to not paying taxes on $1.5 million in income between 2017 and 2018 and entered into a separate deferred prosecution agreement for illegally owning a firearm while using drugs, a felony.
Those plans broke down in July after a federal judge in Delaware rejected the proposed deal, and his lawyers said in court filings last month that prosecutors reneged on the deal, raising the stakes for a potential criminal trial as the 2024 presidential election looms.
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The Washington Examiner contacted a representative for Marco Polo.
Read the 13-page lawsuit below: