BOISE, Idaho — A federal court in Utah ruled anti-government activist Ammon Bundy cannot file for bankruptcy to eliminate the $52.5 million in damages he owes in a St. Luke's civil defamation case.

The decision was filed on Tuesday by Utah U.S. Bankruptcy Judge William T. Thurman, who found that Bundy "acted in a willful and malicious manner in defaming the St. Luke’s Creditors." Therefore, under federal bankruptcy law, the court ruled that the debt cannot be wiped out.

The case arises from a civil lawsuit filed by St. Luke's against Bundy and his associate, Diego Rodriguez, who staged protests in March 2022 and launched a social media campaign targeting hospital staff, involving "Baby Cyrus."

When the child was hospitalized by St. Luke's staff for health reasons, Rodriguez, Bundy, a

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