Kevin O’Leary and Fox News Sued Over China Claims About Utah Data Center Critics
Kevin O’Leary and Fox News Network LLC are facing a federal defamation lawsuit in Utah over claims that opponents of O’Leary’s proposed Box Elder County data center were connected to Chinese interests.
The lawsuit was filed July 15 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah by Joshua Kanter, Gabrielle Finlayson, Alliance for a Better Utah and Elevate Strategies. The federal docket lists the case as a libel and slander action and names O’Leary and Fox News as defendants.
The plaintiffs allege O’Leary falsely described critics of the data center project as tied to the Chinese Communist Party during a series of media appearances. Business Insider reported that the complaint identifies at least 10 appearances between May 11 and June 3 where the accusations were repeated.
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Fox News has pointed to its public corrections. In a June 26 on-air statement, Maria Bartiromo said O’Leary had corrected the record and had no evidence that Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Josh Kanter, Taylor Knuth or Gabrielle Finlayson were funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party. She also said Fox News was aware of no evidence that they acted at the direction of Chinese interests.
The dispute grew out of opposition to O’Leary Digital’s proposed data center and power project in Box Elder County. KSL reported that O’Leary’s June 25 social media clarification, Fox’s apology and a separate apology from Utah Sen. Todd Weiler followed earlier claims linking project opponents to China.
The legal consequence is straightforward. The plaintiffs must prove the statements were defamatory and caused harm. The defendants are expected to argue the corrections matter and that the suit should not produce liability.
The next step is the federal court process. No finding of liability has been made.
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