CROTON, N.Y. (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News by a former supporter of Donald Trump who said he received death threats when the network aired false conspiracy theories about his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks . Capitol riot.
Raymond Epps, a former Marine, was falsely accused by Fox of being a government agent who caused trouble near the Capitol that day so that the blame would be placed on Trump fans.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall in Delaware granted Fox’s request to dismiss the case without comment.
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Epps was the subject of a “60 Minutes” interview in 2023, shortly before he filed his lawsuit. He claimed that he and his wife sold a ranch in Arizona where they lived and moved because of the harassment they faced over the reports.
Epps had named Tucker Carlson, who was fired from Fox in April 2023 for reasons never fully explained, as the most active promoter of the conspiracy theory. Carlson was hosting Fox’s most popular show at the time.
In a statement Wednesday, Fox News cited two other defamation lawsuits against the company that were also recently dismissed. This involved former Biden administration disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz and Tony Bobulinski, one of Hunter Biden’s former business partners.
“Following the dismissals of the Jankowicz, Bobulinski and now Epps cases, Fox News is pleased with these successive decisions from federal courts that preserve First Amendment freedoms of the press,” the network said.
