On July 29 , 2014 , A U.S. Federal Trial Jury found that the chapter `` Punching Out Scruff Face '' from the book American Sniper was false .
The book appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list for 37 weeks. The sub-chapter titled `` Punching Out Scruff Face '' was removed by HarperCollins in subsequent editions after a U.S. Federal Trial Jury found that it was false and that author Chris Kyle had unjustly enriched himself by defaming plaintiff Jesse Ventura in broadcast interviews .