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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsParents of slain DNC staffer sue Fox News
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/14/seth-rich-parents-sue-fox-news-461700Parents of slain DNC staffer sue Fox News
By LOUIS NELSON
03/14/2018 07:35 AM EDT
Updated 03/14/2018 09:27 AM EDT
The parents of murdered Democratic National Committee staff member Seth Rich have filed a lawsuit against Fox News, alleging that the network intentionally exploited their sons death by promoting conspiracy theories about it.
The lawsuit is centered on a story Fox News published on its website in May 2017 suggesting that federal investigators were in possession of evidence that Rich had leaked DNC emails to the website WikiLeaks weeks before he was shot in Washingtons Bloomingdale neighborhood. The story quickly became and has remained a focus of conspiracy theorists because it contradicted the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community that the Russian government was behind the email hacking at the DNC.
The lawsuit brought by Richs parents accuses Fox News and two individuals, reporter Malia Zimmerman and Dallas businessman and Fox News guest Ed Butowsky of seizing on Richs death in an effort to exonerate President Donald Trump of allegations that his campaign colluded with the Russian governments efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.
Under great scrutiny, Fox News retracted the story six days after it was published, but the lawsuit alleges that the network has permanently altered their sons legacy by moving theories about his death from the fringe to the front pages and screens of the mainstream media.
No parent should ever have to live through what we have been forced to endure, Joel and Mary Rich said in a statement, according to ABC News. The pain and anguish that comes from seeing your murdered sons life and legacy treated as a mere political football is beyond comprehension.
ABC News reported that Butowsky called it "one of the dumbest" lawsuits he'd ever seen. Fox declined to comment to ABC News since representatives had not viewed the complaint.
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Parents of slain DNC staffer sue Fox News (Original Post)
babylonsister
Mar 2018
OP
Gothmog
(144,928 posts)1. This will be a fun lawsuit to watch
Tom Rinaldo
(22,911 posts)2. Good for them after what Fox helped put them through n/t
spanone
(135,795 posts)3. faux need to be called out on their lying bullshit every chance
poboy2
(2,078 posts)4. Hannity. Bury him.
Dem_4_Life
(1,765 posts)5. This is going to be fun to watch!
Gothmog
(144,928 posts)6. Susman Godfrey is one of the firms representing the parents/plaintiffs
The Susman firm is a great litigation firm.
knightmaar
(748 posts)7. The only downside is that they probably won't win the lawsuit.
Some fancy Latin phrase will make the lawsuit invalid, and then Fox will declare victory.
They did this before, down in Florida (?) I think, where they tried to make two of their journalists lie about something. The journalists were fired and sued the company for forcing them to lie. It went to court and the courts ruled that, it turns out, you can fire journalists for not being willing to lie for you.
But Fox didn't report it that way. They reported it as vindication and skipped the "made them lie" part.
ehrnst
(32,640 posts)8. Good. (nt)