A California court has ordered attorney Kevin Morris, who has been described as a close associate of Hunter Biden, to pay $50,000 to former Trump aide Garrett Ziegler and the conservative nonprofit Marco Polo following the collapse of a legal dispute stemming from a 2022 phone call, as reported by Fox News.
The ruling by the Superior Court of California brings an end to a years-long case in which Morris alleged that Ziegler impersonated a Democratic operative during a phone conversation in order to obtain information about the Hunter Biden laptop.
Ziegler, who previously worked in the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy as a policy analyst, later founded the nonprofit research group Marco Polo.
Hunter Biden’s ‘sugar brother’ Kevin Morris was ordered by a California court to pay $50,000 to cover legal expenses for ex-Trump aide Garrett Ziegler & his nonprofit Marco Polo, per @_LeoBriceno.
Morris reportedly paid Hunter’s rent, bought his art & lent him a private jet. pic.twitter.com/dSSMqAvone— Katelyn Caralle (@Katelyn_Caralle) April 30, 2026
Morris initially filed claims accusing Ziegler of harassment, criminal harassment, criminal impersonation, false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The case centered on a phone call Morris received in 2022 from someone he believed to be a Democratic strategist.
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According to details presented in the case, Morris became suspicious after receiving a follow-up image featuring a squid, the phrase “NOTHING IS BEYOND OUR REACH,” and the words “Marco Polo,” which led him to believe Ziegler had been behind the call.
However, the case began to unravel when Morris was unable to establish a direct connection between Ziegler and the phone call.
Jennifer Holliday, Ziegler’s attorney, said the outcome did not fully account for the duration and cost of the legal battle.
“It’s not really how I envisioned it would play out, and I don’t think that’s how the Constitution envisions that something like this would play out — which is why we filed a petition with the Supreme Court of the United States to review,” Holliday told Fox News Digital.
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“I certainly hope that they will take a really hard look at what happened here because this is not a situation that should have ever happened,” she added.
Holliday is seeking review of California’s anti-SLAPP law, arguing that it prolonged the litigation instead of resolving what she described as weak allegations.
A person familiar with Morris’ case described the court’s decision as procedural and suggested that the petition to the Supreme Court is unlikely to be taken up. The same source noted that Ziegler’s legal team had previously sought up to $300,000 in costs related to the case.
Holliday also pointed to the absence of key evidence during the litigation. “There was no phone number that was ever presented to the court, to the Court of Appeal, to me, in discovery, anywhere,” she said.
When asked about the identity of the individual who made the phone call, Holliday declined to provide details.
Ziegler responded to the outcome by criticizing Morris, alleging that he supported Hunter Biden financially during recent years.
“Morris is the one responsible for all the bull—- that Hunter pulled over the last couple years,” Ziegler said, referencing reports that Morris provided financial assistance, including covering rent, purchasing artwork, and other expenses.
Reports have indicated that Morris loaned Hunter Biden approximately $6.5 million.
Garrett Ziegler obtained a copy of the hard drive and is speaking out and publishing its contents. A few days ago, the nonprofit he founded, Marco Polo, published over 10,000 photos from the laptop on a site, https://t.co/tT6OyAhZNShttps://t.co/v47klZjwYs
— Jan (@Jan84076856) April 30, 2026
The case also intersected with broader political activity. Earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported that Morris donated $29,900 to former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s gubernatorial campaign prior to its collapse.
Court records indicate that Ziegler’s legal team has requested a debtor’s examination if Morris does not pay the $50,000 within 30 days of the ruling.
Attorneys for Morris have not publicly responded to the court’s decision.
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