A federal judge has dismissed a defamation suit against Fox News brought by a Jan. 6 Capitol riot participant who accused the network and its hosts of spreading misinformation about him.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer L. Hall dismissed a case brought by former U.S. Marine and Jan. 6 participant Ray Epps, ruling that the plaintiff had failed to provide evidence that Fox News or its hosts acted maliciously when it implied that Mr. Epps worked with the government to stage the attack.
Mr. Epps sued Fox News in July 2023, accusing the network of spreading lies about him and causing him “enormous harm.”
He was one of hundreds of Trump supporters who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol. He would eventually plead guilty to disorderly conduct in a restricted area and was sentenced to one year of probation.
In the riot’s aftermath, Fox News host Tucker Carlson and others circulated the theory that the riot was a “false flag” orchestrated by the government. Mr. Carlson pointed the finger at Mr. Epps, who he claimed could have been a federal agent who was in D.C. to incite the riot at the Capitol.
Fox News praised Wednesday’s ruling, pointing to other lawsuit dismissals associated with comments made by the network’s anchors.
“Following the dismissals of the Jankowicz, Bobulinski, and now Epps cases, FOX News is pleased with these back-to-back decisions from federal courts preserving the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” Fox News said in a statement.
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