Hunter Biden sues Fox News for defamation
Attorneys for president’s son say right-wing network tried to ‘harass, annoy, alarm’ Hunter Biden with false claims
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hunter Biden is suing the Fox News network, just a little over a year after the right-wing news channel was forced to reach a historic settlement and admitted its anchors had spread false claims about a voting machine company to please its pro-Trump audience.
A lawsuit filed on Monday by attorneys for the president’s adult son accused the network of “target[ing] Mr Biden in an effort to harass, annoy, alarm, and humiliate him, and tarnish his reputation” with false claims about his business ventures, drug abuse, alleged illegal activity and foreign investments.
Specifically, the lawsuit points to a six-part fictional mock trial series titled “The Trial of Hunter Biden.”
“Far from reporting on a newsworthy event, Fox sought to commercialize Mr. Biden’s personality through a form of treatment distinct from the dissemination of news or information,” the lawsuit said. “Indeed, the entire miniseries is fictionalized and based on a nonexistent criminal case.”
Despite the fact Fox stated the trial was fictional, Biden’s lawsuit said that the show presented actual emails and “nonconsensual intimate images.”
“While using certain true information, the series intentionally manipulates the facts, distorts the truth, narrates happenings out of context, and invents dialogue intended to entertain,” the lawsuit states. “Thus, the viewer of the series cannot decipher what is fact and what is fiction, which is highly damaging to Mr Biden.”
The lawsuit also criticized Fox’s publishing of the sexual images.
“The unlawful publication and dissemination of the intimate images by Fox was not made for a legitimate public purpose, where the miniseries featuring a mock trial is not accurately reporting on newsworthy events but rather, is a fictionalized trial of a nonexistent case against Mr Biden, produced for entertainment purposes,” the lawsuit said.
The images of the younger Biden in intimate engagements have also been shown in congressional hearings, most notably by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Fox provided the following comment to The Independent: “This entirely politically motivated lawsuit is devoid of merit.”
“The core complaint stems from a 2022 streaming program that Mr Biden did not complain about until sending a letter in late April 2024. The program was removed within days of the letter, in an abundance of caution, but Hunter Biden is a public figure who has been the subject of multiple investigations and is now a convicted felon. Consistent with the First Amendment, FOX News has accurately covered the newsworthy events of Mr Biden’s own making, and we look forward to vindicating our rights in court.”
Hunter Biden, the last living child from President Joe Biden’s first marriage, has come under intense scrutiny by Republicans and the legal system both for his time actively addicted to drugs and his business dealings.
Earlier this year, he testified before the House Oversight Committee behind closed doors for six hours. Republicans have accused the younger Biden of using his father’s name as leverage for his business deals.
Last month, a federal jury in Delaware found Hunter Biden guilty in his federal gun trial in Wilmington, Delaware after weeks of testimony from many members of the Biden family and Hallie Biden, the widow of his late brother Beau, with whom he had a relationship as well.
Republicans and right-wing media have regularly referenced Hunter Biden and claimed that the elder Biden helped his son with business dealings. No solid evidence has emerged of wrongdoing.