Data center opponents sue Kevin O'Leary, Fox News over claims linking them to China
Opponents of the Box Elder County data center project have filed a defamation lawsuit against Kevin O'Leary and Fox News. The lawsuit alleges O'Leary falsely linked the opponents to China during interviews about the Stratos data center project. O'Leary later retracted his claims, but the groups are seeking damages.
A defamation lawsuit has been filed against television personality Kevin O'Leary and Fox News Network by several groups and individuals opposing a data center project in Box Elder County, Utah. The lawsuit stems from allegations made by O'Leary on Fox News, specifically during interviews with Maria Bartiromo, where he claimed opponents of the controversial Stratos Project Area data center had links to the Chinese government.
The 70-page lawsuit argues that O'Leary's statements, which included naming groups like Elevate Strategies and Alliance for a Better Utah as proxies for the Chinese government, constituted a weeks-long smear campaign conducted without evidence. Despite O'Leary later retracting his claims on June 25th in a social media post, stating he had no evidence to support the ties to China or the Chinese Communist Party, the plaintiffs contend that the damage to their reputations had already been done.
Fox News Media is also a defendant, with the lawsuit alleging the network was "instrumental" in amplifying O'Leary's defamatory claims by hosting him five times in three weeks. Elevate Utah responded to the accusations, denying any ties to the Chinese government. Fox News has issued a statement indicating they publicly corrected the record and will "vigorously defend against the lawsuit," a sentiment echoed by Kevin O'Leary's attorney, who also suggested they would bring counterclaims, describing the lawsuit as a "cash grab."