CROTON, N.Y. (AP) — A federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday. The suit was brought by Raymond Epps, a former supporter of Donald Trump, who alleged that he received death threats after the network promoted false conspiracy theories about his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
The accusations against Epps suggested that he was a government agent instigating violence at the Capitol, a claim that Fox News propagated in an attempt to shift blame away from Trump supporters. As a result of these allegations, Epps stated that he and his wife felt compelled to sell their ranch in Arizona and relocate due to the harassment they endured.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall, located in Delaware, granted Fox News’s motion to dismiss the case without offering any commentary. The dismissal is part of a broader trend, as Fox News has faced other defamation lawsuits that have also been dismissed, including claims from former Biden administration disinformation specialist Nina Jankowicz and Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden.
Shortly before filing his lawsuit, Epps appeared in a “60 Minutes” interview in 2023, where he recounted the impact of the conspiracy theories on his life. He identified Tucker Carlson—who was released from Fox in April 2023 for reasons that remain unclear—as a leading figure in promoting these damaging claims. At that time, Carlson was the host of Fox News’s highest-rated program.
In response to the dismissal of the Epps case and others, Fox News expressed satisfaction with the federal court decisions, emphasizing their importance for the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. The network stated, “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.”
