Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Delaware computer repair shop where a laptop of his was left, accusing him of invading his privacy.
The legal battle between Hunter Biden and John Paul Mac Isaac, the owner of The Mac Shop in Wilmington, Delaware, first made headlines in October 2020, when the New York Post published details from emails found on a laptop that had allegedly been left at the shop in April 2019.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, George Mesires, said in a statement on Friday that the lawsuit alleges “violations of Mr. Biden’s privacy, along with allegations of false representations” by Isaac.
The lawsuit claims that Isaac “shared the contents of the hard drive with the media, in violation of Mr. Biden’s privacy and contractual agreements,” according to Mesires.
Isaac, however, has maintained that he did not share any information from the laptop with the media, but rather turned it over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after raising concerns about its content.
The lawsuit comes as a counter-move against Isaac, who sued Hunter Biden in October 2020, claiming that the laptop was never returned to him and that he was defamed by comments made by Hunter Biden’s law firm.
The lawsuit seeks $500,000 in damages for Isaac’s alleged invasion of Hunter Biden’s privacy, as well as an injunction preventing Isaac from discussing any information related to Biden or his family.
“The defendant’s actions caused Joe Biden to suffer damage by creating the public misimpression that the laptop’s contents were genuine, when in fact they were fraudulent,” the lawsuit claims.
The laptop became a central issue in the 2020 U.S. presidential election when the New York Post published a story based on the contents of its hard drive, which included emails that suggested Hunter Biden had introduced his father to a Ukrainian businessman while Joe Biden was vice president.
The laptop’s authenticity has been questioned, and the FBI is reportedly investigating whether the emails were part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
Hunter Biden’s lawsuit marks the latest chapter in a long-standing feud between him and Isaac, which began when he took the laptop in for repair and ended with its contents being made public.
The case highlights the risks associated with storing sensitive personal data on digital devices, particularly when entrusting them to third-party service providers.
In today’s world, where privacy is becoming an increasingly important issue, it is essential that individuals take steps to safeguard their personal information, both online and offline.
The case also serves as a reminder to businesses that store the personal data of their clients to operate with the utmost care and diligence in protecting this information, as the consequences of failing to do so can be severe.