Fox News sued by parents of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich

[FreeinChrist]

Fox News sued by parents of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich

The parents of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich sued Fox News on Tuesday, accusing the network of fabricating a conspiracy involving their son and Wikileaks in order to boost ratings.

Joel and Mary Rich filed suit in federal court in New York, seeking unspecified damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress and other claims. On May 16, 2017, Fox News published a story on its website asserting that Seth Rich had leaked thousands of emails to Wikileaks before he was shot and killed in July 2016.

The network retracted the story a week later, saying it did not meet the network's standards. However, the suit alleges that the story fueled a conspiracy theory that continues to cause them harm. For example, they say they still feel compelled to read articles, tweets and internet postings regarding their son, in order to defend him from attacks on his character.
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good.

 

[bhsmte]

Fox News sued by parents of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich

The parents of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich sued Fox News on Tuesday, accusing the network of fabricating a conspiracy involving their son and Wikileaks in order to boost ratings.

Joel and Mary Rich filed suit in federal court in New York, seeking unspecified damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress and other claims. On May 16, 2017, Fox News published a story on its website asserting that Seth Rich had leaked thousands of emails to Wikileaks before he was shot and killed in July 2016.

The network retracted the story a week later, saying it did not meet the network's standards. However, the suit alleges that the story fueled a conspiracy theory that continues to cause them harm. For example, they say they still feel compelled to read articles, tweets and internet postings regarding their son, in order to defend him from attacks on his character.
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good.

I am all for holding the media accountable, because I think media outlets on both the left and right, freewheel a bit too much.

With that said, these cases are very difficult to prove from a plaintiff perspective, but we will see.

 

[Rion]

Pretty sure it was going on long before they ran the piece. If they really wanted to get the person that instigated it, it'd be Julian Assange.

 

[SaNcTaMaRiA]

This will get settled out of court I am sure.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

This is going to be a double-edged sword for the parents trying to prove certain aspects of this case.

They may get a modest settlement for emotional distress as big corporations like Fox typically will be willing to spend a few tens of thousands to make bad PR go away.

...but as far as pushing for physical damages, they can't really do that without coming across as if they're partially endorsing the same conspiracy theories they're claiming are causing the other emotional damages.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Update: Hannity, Lou Dobbs and others to be deposed. Er, like taking testimony deposed, not like being removed from office.

Fox News host Sean Hannity and Fox Business host Lou Dobbs are expected to be deposed in late October over Fox’s reporting about the murder of Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer Seth Rich, the Daily Beast reported Monday.

Hannity, Dobbs and other Fox staffers will reportedly be deposed as part of an emotional distress lawsuit that Rich’s parents, Joel and Mary Rich, filed against Fox, Fox News reporter Malia Zimmerman and former Fox News guest Ed Butowsky. The deposition schedule was revealed in a Thursday court filing made by the Rich family, according to the Daily Beast.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Fox News has reached a settlement with slain Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich’s parents, who alleged in a lawsuit that the cable news company exploited their son’s death in stories and commentary.