California Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused Fox News of defamation in a $787 million lawsuit, saying it intentionally misled viewers during immigration enforcement protests in his state.
The June 27 filing, brought in a Delaware federal court, says Fox news reporters and hosts incorrectly reported what President Donald Trump said and edited video of Trump’s comments to make it appear that Newsom lied about when the two men spoke during the events.
Filings in the case repeatedly reference the $787 million settlement Fox agreed to in 2023 with Dominion, a voting machine company, after the news network repeated Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen using their equipment.
“If Fox News wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump’s behalf, it should face consequences ‒ just like it did in the Dominion case,” Newsom said in a statement provided to USA TODAY. “I believe the American people should be able to trust the information they receive from a major news outlet. Until Fox is willing to be truthful, I will keep fighting against their propaganda machine.”
In a statement, Fox dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous.”
“Gov. Newsom’s transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him,” the statement reads. “We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed.”
According to the filing, Newsom brought the case after Fox host Jesse Watters and reporter John Roberts claimed he lied about when he last spoke by phone with Trump during June protests in Los Angeles.
Newsom’s filing claims he last spoke with Trump for approximately 16 minutes by phone on June 7, one day before the president deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops over Newsom’s objections to quell protests in Los Angeles.
“At no point (on June 7) did President Trump raise the demonstrations in Los Angeles which had begun that day, nor discuss the use of the National Guard,” according to the filing. “And when Governor Newsom attempted to discuss the situation in Los Angeles, President Trump steered the topic away,” the filing states.
Trump told reporters on June 10 he had spoken with Newsom “a day ago,” implying a conversation took place the same day he deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles.
Newsom refuted Trump’s claim in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, minutes later, saying “There was no call. Not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a President deploying Marines onto our streets doesn’t even know who he’s talking to.”
Newsom’s lawyers argue Watters’ program edited a video of Trump to support the president’s claim and make Newsom look like he lied about their communication. They also allege that Roberts hedged Trump’s words to make it appear that he was talking about the June 7 call and that Newsom was lying.
Newsom is suing as an individual, not in his capacity as governor.
Newsom’s lawyers argue in the filing that the incident meets the legal standard for defamation and potentially harmed the governor’s standing with voters in future elections. Additionally, they claim it violated California’s Unfair Competition Law, which outlaws “deceptive and unfair business practices.”
What is Governor Newsom’s approval rating?
While it is unclear what kind of response the governor’s lawsuit against Fox News will have amongst California voters, a recent poll shows his approval rating has dropped for the month of June.
The Public Policy Institute of California surveyed 1,591 adults and state residents on a number of issues including the governor’s approval, the president’s approval and national issues.
In the June statewide survey, only 44% of adults and 46% of likely voters approve of Governor’s Newsom’s job performance. Only 41% of adults and 45% of likely voters approved of the way that the California Legislature is handling its job.
The survey also showed only 3-in-10 Californians approved of President Trump.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California Gov. Newsom sues Fox News for defamation, here’s what we know
Reporting by Sarah D. Wire and Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
