One of Mr. Byrne's sons, Patrick Byrne, became CEO of online retailer Overstock.com, and Mr. Byrne served as chairman.

WSJ: Jack Byrne: The Man Who Saved Floundering Geico

Not coincidentally, perhaps, Utah is home to an online retailer led by Patrick Byrne, one of the most vocal critics of short selling.

ECONOMIST: The furore over naked shorts

Their supporters argue that the legal action brought by Overstock is a crude tactic by its mercurial boss, Patrick Byrne, to divert attention from its long history of underperformance.

ECONOMIST: Short-selling litigation: An enlightening mistake | The

Overstock.com's Chief Executive Patrick Byrne has been campaigning for two years to put a stop to deliberate naked short selling, not just in his own company's stock, and to clean up the trade settlement process.

FORBES: Naked Shorting Case Gains Traction