Jesse Ventura

Jesse Ventura (born July 15, 1951, as James George Janos, which is still his legal name) was elected the 38th Governor of Minnesota on November 3, 1998, after a career as Navy SEAL, professional wrestler, actor, mayor, and radio talk show host. He ran as a candidate for the Reform Party of Minnesota (now called the Independence Party of Minnesota) and "shocked the world," as he phrased it, when he unexpectedly beat the major-party candidates: St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman (Republican) and Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. "Skip" Humphrey III (Democratic-Farmer-Labor). Ventura, who spent considerably less than his opponents, is widely regarded as one of the first candidates to effectively use the Internet in a political campaign. He served as governor from January 4, 1999, to January 6, 2003, without seeking a second term.

Litigation

In 1987, while negotiating his contract to as a WWF commentator, Ventura waived his rights to royalties on videotape sales when he was falsely told that only feature performers received such royalties. In 1991, having discovered that other non-feature performers received royalties, Ventura brought an action for fraud, misappropriation of publicity rights, and unjust enrichment in Minnesota state court against Titan Sports. The case was removed to federal court, and Ventura won an $801,333.06 jury verdict on the last claim. The judgment was affirmed on appeal, and the case, Ventura v. Titan Sports, Inc., 65 F.3d 725 (8th Cir.1995), is an important result in the law of restitution.

Related Topics:
WWF - Unjust enrichment - Restitution

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