Ventura then sued Kyle's widow Taya Kyle, who inherited the $6million fortune made from the book

Kyle claimed on Fox News that Ventura, himself a Navy veteran, had said the SEALs 'deserved to lose a few, over their behavior in Iraq

Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL, claimed in his book American Sniper that he punched Ventura at a SEAL bar in California in 2006

The widow of America's deadliest sniper has been ordered to pay Jesse Ventura $1.8million after losing a defamation suit over claims her husband made before he was murdered.

Former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle claimed in his best-selling booked American Sniper that he punched Ventura after the former Minnesota governor made disparaging comments about the military, including that the SEALs 'deserved to lose a few' over their behavior in Iraq.

Kyle, who was murdered by a fellow veteran at a Texas gun range last year, defended his story in videotaped testimony before his death, saying it was accurate.

Eleven witnesses also backed up Kyle's version of events, defense attorney John Borger told jurors.

After Kyle's death in February 2013, Ventura filed suit against his widow, Taya Kyle, who inherited the estimated $6million that Kyle raked in from the book.

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Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura (pictured outside court last week, right) claimed he had lost work as a TV personality when Chris Kyle lied about him making disparaging remarks about the military

Losing side: Taya Kyle, the widow of American Sniper author Chris Kyle, was ordered pay out $1.8million over claims Kyle made in his book and on Fox News before his death. She is pictured here outside court last week

Kyle, who claimed he killed 255 Iraqi insurgents, shot to national fame with the publication of his harrowing book, American Sniper

After deliberating for nearly six days, a jury in St. Paul, Minnesota, returned a verdict against Kyle's estate - finding that the Ventura, himself a Navy veteran, had been defamed by Kyle's account of the 2006 encounter at a California bar.

Ventura testified that Kyle fabricated the passage about punching him.

Legal experts had said Ventura had to clear a high legal bar to win, since as a public figure he had to prove 'actual malice.'

According to the jury instructions, Ventura had to prove with 'clear and convincing evidence' that Kyle either knew or believed what he wrote was untrue, or that he harbored serious doubts about its truth.

The jury sent the judge a note Monday saying they didn't think they could reach a unanimous verdict. He told them to keep trying.

After finding in favor of Ventura, the jury was also tasked with awarding damages for any harm to his reputation, humiliation and embarrassment. Jurors had to find that Ventura suffered an economic loss as a direct result of Kyle's statements, or that Kyle used Ventura to profit unjustly.

The award includes $500,000 for defamation and $1.3 million for unjust enrichment.

Neither Ventura nor Chris Kyle's widow, Taya Kyle, were in the courtroom for the verdict.

Taya is executor of his estate with control over proceeds from book royalties and movie rights. She grew up in Gladstone, Minnesota, and is the daughter of Lake Oswego Mayor Kent Studebaker. She and their two small children live in Texas.

Tragic: Kyle, a decorated Navy SEAL was murdered by a fellow veteran at a Texas gun range in February 2013

Best-seller: American Sniper sold millions of copies and made Chris Kyle more than $6million

In his closing argument, Ventura attorney David Bradley Olsen said he believes Kyle's estate has earned more than $6 million from the book, and suggested that $5 million to $15 million would be reasonable compensation for what he said was irreparable harm to Ventura reputation.

'The verdict will tell the world Chris Kyle's story was a lie,' Olsen said.

Olsen said Kyle's claims that Ventura said he hated America, thought the U.S. military was killing innocent civilians in Iraq and that the SEALs 'deserve to lose a few' had made him a pariah in the community that mattered most to him - the brotherhood of current and former SEALs.

'One-point-five million people have bought the book,' he said.

'Millions more heard Fox TV trash Jesse Ventura because of it. And the story went viral on the Internet and will be there forever.'

Defense attorney John Borger had told jurors in his own closing argument that the 11 witnesses presented by the defense 'tell a compelling and consistent story' that backed Kyle's version.

U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle, who is not related to the author, told jurors they weren't charged with determining whether Ventura was punched, but rather whether he was defamed by the remarks Kyle attributed to him.

Chris Kyle, regarded as the deadliest military sniper in U.S. history, included a brief account in his book of a confrontation at a bar in Coronado, California, with a man he called 'Scruff Face.'

In promotional interviews, Kyle identified the man as Ventura, a former Navy special operations diver who became a pro wrestler and movie actor before being elected for one term as Minnesota governor in 1998. Ventura was in Coronado for a SEAL reunion and graduation ceremony.

Ventura is a former professional wrestler who went by the name 'The Body.' Defense lawyer argued he already had a complicated public image

Leading man: Bradley Cooper is set to play Kyle in the upcoming Hollywood adaptation of American Sniper

Ventura's lawyer said inconsistencies in testimony from defense witnesses about what happened the night of October 12, 2006, were so serious that their stories couldn't be trusted.

He also pointed out that people who were with Ventura that night testified that the alleged confrontation never happened. And he said Ventura would never have said any of the remarks attributed to him because he remains proud of his and his parents' military service.

'The statement is completely out of character for Jesse Ventura. He never said anything like that in his life, and he never will,' he said.