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The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Gov. Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for defamation
Filings in the case repeatedly reference the $787 million settlement Fox agreed to in 2023 with Dominion, a voting machine company, after the news network repeated Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen using their equipment. "If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump's behalf, it should face consequences - just like it did in the Dominion case," Newsom said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. "I believe the American people should be able to trust the information they receive from a major news outlet. Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine." In a statement, Fox dismissed the lawsuit as "frivolous." "Gov. Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him," the statement reads. "We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed." According to the filing, Newsom brought the case after Fox host Jesse Watters and reporter John Roberts claimed he lied about when he last spoke by phone with Trump during June protests in Los Angeles. Newsom's filing claims he last spoke with Trump for approximately 16 minutes by phone on June 7, one day before the president deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops over Newsom's objections to quell protests in Los Angeles. "At no point (on June 7) did President Trump raise the demonstrations in Los Angeles which had begun that day, nor discuss the use of the National Guard," according to the filing. "And when Governor Newsom attempted to discuss the situation in Los Angeles, President Trump steered the topic away," the filing states. Trump told reporters on June 10 he had spoken with Newsom "a day ago," implying a conversation took place the same day he deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles. Newsom refuted Trump's claim in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, minutes later, saying "There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to." Newsom's lawyers argue Watters' program edited a video of Trump to support the president's claim and make Newsom look like he lied about their communication. They also allege that Roberts hedged Trump's words to make it appear that he was talking about the June 7 call and that Newsom was lying. Newsom is suing as an individual, not in his capacity as governor. Newsom's lawyers argue in the filing that the incident meets the legal standard for defamation and potentially harmed the governor's standing with voters in future elections. Additionally, they claim it violated California's Unfair Competition Law, which outlaws "deceptive and unfair business practices."
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for defamation and demands $787m
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has sued Fox News for defamation and demanded $787m, almost exactly the same amount Fox paid in a previous defamation case over election misinformation. In the new lawsuit, filed on Friday, Newsom accuses the Fox host Jesse Watters of falsely claiming Newsom lied about a phone call with Donald Trump, who recently ordered national guard troops into Los Angeles. Newsom's attorneys say Watters aired a deceptively edited clip of Trump suggesting he spoke with the governor just before the military deployment, when in fact records show the call occurred days earlier, on 7 June. The lawsuit alleges that Fox manipulated the footage to push a false narrative that Newsom had misled the public. Trump had told reporters on 10 June he had spoken with Newsom 'a day ago', appearing to imply a conversation occurred on the same day that 700 US marines were deployed to LA. Newsom denied Trump's claim, writing on X minutes later: 'There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to.' The lawsuit says that Fox's own reporting confirmed Newsom's version. While Watters aired Trump's edited quote and asked viewers 'Why would Newsom lie?', the host simultaneously showed a screenshot of Trump's call history, which confirmed the most recent call was 7 June. Newsom's complaint also accuses the network of violating California's Unfair Competition Law by engaging in deceptive business practices. The damages sought mirror the $787.5m Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a separate defamation case over election misinformation. 'If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump's behalf, it should face consequences – just like it did in the Dominion case,' Newsom told Politico in a statement. 'Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine.' The governor's team told Politico that they would drop the case if Fox retracts the claims and Watters issues an on-air apology. Newsom said legal costs would come from his campaign funds, and that if the case is successful the proceeds will go to support anti-Trump causes. A Fox News spokesperson said: 'Governor Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him. We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed.' Trump has had his own legal battles with media outlets. He recently secured a $15m settlement from ABC over comments made by George Stephanopoulos, and he has sued CBS over alleged interview manipulation by its 60 Minutes program during the 2024 campaign, a case which remains unresolved.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for defamation and demands $787m
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has sued Fox News for defamation and demanded $787m, almost exactly the same amount Fox paid in a previous defamation case over election misinformation. In the new lawsuit, filed on Friday, Newsom accuses the Fox host Jesse Watters of falsely claiming Newsom lied about a phone call with Donald Trump, who recently ordered national guard troops into Los Angeles. Newsom's attorneys say Watters aired a deceptively edited clip of Trump suggesting he spoke with the governor just before the military deployment, when in fact records show the call occurred days earlier, on 7 June. The lawsuit alleges that Fox manipulated the footage to push a false narrative that Newsom had misled the public. Trump had told reporters on 10 June he had spoken with Newsom 'a day ago', appearing to imply a conversation occurred on the same day that 700 US marines were deployed to LA. Newsom denied Trump's claim, writing on X minutes later: 'There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to.' Related: 'This moment was thrust upon him': Gavin Newsom steps up to parry Trump's 'wrecking ball' attacks on American democracy The lawsuit says that Fox's own reporting confirmed Newsom's version. While Watters aired Trump's edited quote and asked viewers 'Why would Newsom lie?', the host simultaneously showed a screenshot of Trump's call history, which confirmed the most recent call was 7 June. Newsom's complaint also accuses the network of violating California's Unfair Competition Law by engaging in deceptive business practices. The damages sought mirror the $787.5m Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a separate defamation case over election misinformation. 'If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump's behalf, it should face consequences – just like it did in the Dominion case,' Newsom told Politico in a statement. 'Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine.' The governor's team told Politico that they would drop the case if Fox retracts the claims and Watters issues an on-air apology. Newsom said legal costs would come from his campaign funds, and that if the case is successful the proceeds will go to support anti-Trump causes. A Fox News spokesperson said: 'Governor Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him. We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed.' Trump has had his own legal battles with media outlets. He recently secured a $15m settlement from ABC over comments made by George Stephanopoulos, and he has sued CBS over alleged interview manipulation by its 60 Minutes program during the 2024 campaign, a case which remains unresolved.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for defamation and demands $787m
The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has sued Fox News for defamation and demanded $787m, almost exactly the same amount Fox paid in a previous defamation case over election misinformation. In the new lawsuit, filed on Friday, Newsom accuses the Fox host Jesse Watters of falsely claiming Newsom lied about a phone call with Donald Trump, who recently ordered national guard troops into Los Angeles. Newsom's attorneys say Watters aired a deceptively edited clip of Trump suggesting he spoke with the governor just before the military deployment, when in fact records show the call occurred days earlier, on 7 June. The lawsuit alleges that Fox manipulated the footage to push a false narrative that Newsom had misled the public. Trump had told reporters on 10 June he had spoken with Newsom 'a day ago', appearing to imply a conversation occurred on the same day that 700 US marines were deployed to LA. Newsom denied Trump's claim, writing on X minutes later: 'There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn't even know who he's talking to.' The lawsuit says that Fox's own reporting confirmed Newsom's version. While Watters aired Trump's edited quote and asked viewers 'Why would Newsom lie?', the host simultaneously showed a screenshot of Trump's call history, which confirmed the most recent call was 7 June. Newsom's complaint also accuses the network of violating California's Unfair Competition Law by engaging in deceptive business practices. The damages sought mirror the $787.5m Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023 to settle a separate defamation case over election misinformation. 'If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump's behalf, it should face consequences – just like it did in the Dominion case,' Newsom told Politico in a statement. 'Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine.' The governor's team told Politico that they'll drop the case if Fox retracts the claims and Watters issues an on-air apology. Newsom said legal costs would come from his campaign funds, and that if the case is successful the proceeds will go to support anti-Trump causes. Trump has had his own legal battles with media outlets. He recently secured a $15m settlement from ABC over comments made by George Stephanopoulos, and he has sued CBS over alleged interview manipulation by its 60 Minutes program during the 2024 campaign, a case which remains unresolved.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for $787M over defamation in Trump National Guard call coverage
California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, demanding $787 million in damages. The suit claims that host Jesse Watters falsely accused Newsom of lying about a phone call with Donald Trump related to the recent deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Watters' show aired an edited clip of Trump implying he spoke with Newsom on June 9 — the same day 700 U.S. Marines were sent to Los Angeles — and asked viewers, 'Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?' However, Fox simultaneously displayed a call log confirming the conversation occurred on June 7, as Newsom stated. The governor immediately denied Trump's claim on X that day. Newsom's legal team argues the broadcast deliberately distorted the timeline to harm his public credibility. 'If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump's behalf, it should face consequences — just like it did in the Dominion case,' Newsom told POLITICO. The lawsuit was filed in Delaware, where Fox is incorporated. Filed in Newsom's personal capacity, any awarded damages would be donated to anti-Trump causes. The legal claim also cites a violation of California's Unfair Competition Law. His attorneys — Mark Bankson and Michael Teter — say the governor is open to dropping the suit if Fox retracts its claims and Watters apologizes on air. In a letter to Fox, they mocked the network's credibility and referred to Trump's 'delusionary' statements. Newsom's tense relationship with conservative media has long been visible. He's frequently clashed with Fox hosts, even while appearing on the network, and maintains a love-hate dynamic with Trump — trading lawsuits and public barbs. This lawsuit is the latest escalation, signaling Newsom's readiness to combat disinformation ahead of any future presidential ambitions.
