A federal judge in Delaware dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News brought by Ray Epps who claimed Tucker Carlson falsely accused him of inciting violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The judge ruled that Epps and his lawyers failed to prove actual malice on Carlson’s part. Epps had accused Carlson of spreading a “fantastical story” that he was a government agent who helped instigate the riot to discredit President Trump and his supporters. Defamation cases against the media are challenging to win, and the judge noted that even if Carlson’s reporting was subpar, it did not prove malicious intent.
The dismissal of the case was a victory for Carlson, who left Fox News last year following a separate defamation suit settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. Dominion claimed that Fox spread misinformation about their machines being used to flip votes in the 2020 election. Fox stated that three defamation claims against the network had been dismissed recently. The ruling highlights the difficulty of proving defamation against news media outlets, even in cases where reporting may be flawed. Fox News continues to face legal challenges related to its coverage of the 2020 election and the events surrounding the Capitol riot.
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