Ray Epps, a Trump supporter who became the focus of right-wing conspiracy theories after protesting in Washington on January 6, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News and former host Tucker Carlson for claiming he was an undercover agent. of the FBI who helped spark the riot at the Capitol that day.
In his lawsuitEpps accused Fox News of telling a “fantastic story” in which he acted as a government-sponsored instigator of the violence that followed when Congress tried to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.
The lawsuit alleges that Carlson launched a “years-long campaign” spreading falsehoods that “destroyed” the lives of Epps and his wife, who now reside in Utah but were living in Arizona at the time.
Epps seeks punitive and compensatory damages to be determined at trial for “economic, emotional, reputational and other types of injuries.”
Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did an attorney for Epps.
The lawsuit comes after Michael Teter, an attorney for Epps, called on then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson to publicly retract his “false and defamatory statements” that Epps was covertly working with the government. federal during the attack.
in a letter host and lawyer for the network in March, before Carlson left the network, Epps said the host “persists in his assault on the truth” by pushing false and “fantasy” ideas about Epps’s role in the attack on the Capitol.
The lawsuit comes on the heels of Fox News’ $787.5 million settlement agreement with Dominion Voting Systems in April, stemming from allegations that the news outlet had published the false claim that voting machines rigged the election in 2020.
“As Fox recently learned in its litigation against Dominion Voting Systems, its lies have consequences,” Epps’s lawyers wrote.
Carlson was the host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News until April, when he was ousted from the network amid the fallout from Dominion’s lawsuit.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
daniel barnes contributed.
