The lawsuit largely centers on comments made by former Fox primetime star Tucker Carlson, who repeatedly told viewers he believed that Epps had encouraged other protesters to take radical, violent action.
A federal judge has dismissed Raymond Epps’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News.
According to The Guardian, Epps was wrongfully accused by Fox News of being a government agent involved in inciting Trump supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020.
“In the aftermath of the events of January 6th, Fox News searched for a scapegoat to blame other than Donald Trump or the Republican Party,” lawyers for Epps wrote in the lawsuit. “Eventually, they turned on one of their own, telling a fantastical story in which Ray Epps—who was a Trump supporter that participated in the protests of January 6—was an undercover FBI agent and was responsible for the mob that violently broke into the Capitol and interfered with the peaceful transition of power for the first time in this country’s history.”
The lawsuit largely centers on comments made by former Fox primetime star Tucker Carlson, who repeatedly told viewers he believed that Epps had encouraged other protesters to take radical, violent action.
“Fox News and in particular Tucker Carlson spent a good part of two years lying about Mr. Epps’s involvement in January 6th, creating a fictitious story and narrative about him that is wholly untrue,” said Michael Teter, an attorney representing Epps. “And because of that he has faced harassment and threats from Fox viewers and others that have ruined his life.”
Epps, a former Marine and member of the far-right Oath Keepers group, said that the backlash from Fox’s reports was so severe that he and his wife were forced to sell their Arizona ranch and relocate. It was the only way, Epps said, that they could avoid constant harassment from other conservatives.
“He believes in Donald Trump and he believed the lies that Fox told,” Teter told NPR. “The fact that then Fox would take one of their viewers and turn him into the villain of one of their conspiracy theories demonstrates that we’ve known for a while, which is Fox News does not care. It’s about making them money. And it will lie to them. It will discredit them. And ultimately it will ruin their lives if they see a profit for them to be made.”
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall ruled on behalf of Fox. In her decision, Hall granted the network’s request for a dismissal, concluding that Epps failed to provide evidence showing that Fox knowingly and intentionally aired false information.
The Guardian notes that Epps’s lawsuit was dismissed once before in 2024; Epps was allowed to revise and refile his claims.
In a statement, Fox praised Hall’s latest ruling, saying it is “pleased with the federal court’s ruling, further preserving press freedoms.”
Sources
Federal judge dismisses former Trump supporter’s defamation lawsuit against Fox News
Federal judge dismisses former Trump supporter’s defamation suit against Fox News
Fox News hit with another defamation lawsuit — this one over Jan. 6 allegations
Join the conversation!