A federal judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News brought by Raymond Epps, a former Donald Trump supporter who faced death threats after the network aired false conspiracy theories about his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Epps, a former Marine, was falsely accused by Fox of being a government agent causing trouble near the Capitol to blame Trump supporters. The judge granted Fox’s motion to dismiss the case, without comment.
Epps and his wife sold their Arizona ranch and moved due to the harassment they faced because of the reports. Tucker Carlson, who was fired from Fox in April 2023, was named as the most active promoter of the conspiracy theory. Fox News has cited the dismissal of two other defamation lawsuits involving former Biden administration disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz and Tony Bobulinski, one of Hunter Biden’s former business partners.
In a statement, Fox News expressed satisfaction with the recent court decisions preserving the press freedoms under the First Amendment. The network highlighted the dismissals of the Jankowicz, Bobulinski, and Epps cases as victories for the First Amendment. The lawsuits add to the ongoing debate surrounding media responsibility and accountability in reporting accurate information.
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