ST. PAUL — A third day of jury deliberations in a defamation lawsuit brought by former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has ended without a verdict.

Jurors broke for the day after about 7 1/2 hours of deliberations Thursday and are due to reconvene at 9 a.m. today. Altogether, the jury has deliberated for about 19 hours since midday Tuesday.

Ventura said the late author Chris Kyle made up a story in his best-seller “American Sniper” about decking him in a California bar in 2006 after Ventura supposedly insulted Navy SEALs. Ventura testified it never happened.

To rule in Ventura’s favor, the jury must find by “clear and convincing evidence” that Kyle knew or believed his story was false, or that Kyle had serious doubts about whether it was true.

Kyle died last year.