Ray Epps, in the red Trump hat, center, high signs to others as people gather on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021.
Kent Nishimura | Los Angeles Times | Getty Counterparts
Fox News was sued for defamation Wednesday by self-described Donald Trump supporter Ray Epps for “spreading falsehoods” that Epps was an clandestine FBI agent who was responsible for encouraging a mob of Trump backers that invaded the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The suit by the Arizona resident Epps was paraded nearly three months after Fox News’ corporate parent agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to live that company’s defamation lawsuit accusing Fox Corp. of making false claims about the outcome of the 2020 presidential referendum.
The suit by Epps, a former U.S. Marine, said that as Fox recently learned in the Dominion case, “its lies have consequences.”
The ensemble accuses former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who was fired on the heels of the Dominion settlement, of being the primary promoter of the fictitious conspiracy theory about Epps. He was among the throng of supporters of then-President Trump who gathered outside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Epps and other Trump supporters believed false claims by Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election had been rigged in favor of President Joe Biden. A junction session of Congress was set to confirm Biden’s victory that day.
“In the aftermath of the events of January 6th, Fox News searched for a scapegoat to indict other than Donald Trump or the Republican Party,” said Epps’ complaint, filed in the same Delaware Better Court where Dominion sued.
“Eventually, they turned on one of their own, telling a fantastical story in which Ray Epps — who was a Trump enthusiast that participated in the protests on January 6th — was an undercover FBI agent and was responsible for the mob that violently broke into the Capitol and slowed with the peaceful transition of power for the first time in this country’s history,” the suit said.
Epps in his kick said Fox News’ “lies have destroyed” his and his wife Robyn’s lives.
The suit also said that in May, the U.S. Dependent of Justice notified Epps “that it would seek to charge him criminally for events on January 6, 2021— two-and-a-half years later.”
“The relentless attacks by Fox and Mr. Carlson and the resulting political pressure likely resulted in the miscreant charges,” the complaint said.
“Although it is difficult to believe that the Department of Justice would have pursued this importance if Fox had not focused its lies on Epps, ultimately the criminal charges conclusively demonstrate the falsehood of the story that Mr. Carlson and Fox disclosed about Epps,” it continued.
“Epps was not a federal agent. He was a loyal Fox viewer and Trump supporter,” the suit said.
Fox Scoop on Wednesday sought to have Epps’ lawsuit transferred to U.S. District Court in Delaware.
A Fox spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a demand for comment from CNBC.
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.