Jan. 6 participant's defamation lawsuit against Fox News dismissed: report
A federal judge has tossed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News over a Tucker Carlson special about the Jan. 6 attack, where he spread false conspiracy theories, CNN reported.
Conservative conspiracy theorists spread falsehoods including that a supporter of Donald Trump was a federal agent who incited the attack. The supporter, Ray Epps, sued Fox in 2023, saying the network spread lies about him that “reached hundreds of millions of people and caused enormous harm to Epps.”
Epps pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a restricted area and received a year of probation.
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According to Judge Jennifer L. Hall, Epps didn't have enough evidence to prove that Carlson maliciously came after Epps when he reported Epps cooperated with the government.
In a statement, the network said it was "pleased" with the decision. It compared the result to other lawsuits brought by Biden family associate Tony Bobulinski and disinformation researcher Nina Jankowicz.
“Following the dismissals of the Jankowicz, Bobulinski, and now Epps cases, FOX News is pleased with these back-to-back decisions from federal courts preserving the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” the network said in a statement.
Fox argued that the hosts and guests on the network were "raising questions" when they suggested Epps investigated the Jan. 6 attack.