Dover, Del. (AP) – In a move that raises suspicions, a former Donald Trump supporter, who became the subject of a conspiracy theory surrounding the events of January 6, 2021, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News. Raymond Epps, a former Marine who claims he was forced to leave his Arizona home due to threats, is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.
Epps filed his lawsuit in Delaware’s Superior Court, the same court where Dominion Voting Systems previously sued Fox News for broadcasting lies following the 2020 presidential election. Fox News reached a settlement with Dominion for $787 million just before the trial was set to begin earlier this year.
Fox News has not yet issued a comment regarding Epps’ lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Epps, who had traveled to Washington for the January 6 demonstration, was wrongly accused by Fox News of being a government agent who incited trouble to be blamed on Trump supporters.
“After the events of January 6th, Fox News sought a scapegoat to shift blame away from Donald Trump and the Republican Party,” the lawsuit alleges. “Ultimately, they turned against one of their own.”
While the lawsuit mentions Fox hosts Laura Ingraham and Will Cain, it singles out former Fox host Tucker Carlson as the main promoter of the conspiracy theory. The lawsuit states that Epps was featured in more than two dozen segments on Carlson’s prime-time show. Fox News terminated Carlson shortly after the settlement with Dominion was announced.
The lawsuit claims that Carlson “unequivocally told his viewers that Epps was a government informant, presenting it as a fact, and they believed him.”
According to the lawsuit, Carlson disregarded evidence contradicting his theory, including Epps’ testimony before the congressional committee investigating the Capitol insurrection, in which Epps stated that he was not working for the government. The lawsuit also mentioned video footage provided by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that showed Epps attempting to de-escalate the situation on that day.
Although Carlson is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, Epps’ lawyer, Michael Teter, argues that “Carlson was an employee of Fox when he spread falsehoods about Ray, and Fox broadcasted those defamatory statements.”
Teter stated, “Fox is therefore fully responsible for Mr. Carlson’s remarks.”
Attempts to reach Carlson for comment were unsuccessful.
In the lawsuit, Epps claims that as a result of Fox’s alleged defamatory statements, he and his wife have been subjected to harassment and death threats from Trump supporters. Epps received a message saying, “Epps, sleep with one eye open.”
Epps also asserts that he was forced to sell his successful wedding venue business and Arizona ranch and now faces financial ruin. The lawsuit states that Epps and his wife are currently living in a recreational vehicle in Utah.
