Hunter Biden has sued Fox News and its parent company over a 2022 miniseries that purported to show a “mock trial” of the president’s son, claiming that the conservative network made money from publishing his intimate images on the show.
The lawsuit, filed Sunday in New York state court, centers on “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” a six-part miniseries that was released on the Fox Nation streaming platform. In the faux trial, television personality Judge Joe Brown presided over an imagined prosecution of Biden for violating bribery and foreign-agent laws — two charges he hasn’t faced in the real world.
Biden is suing Fox claiming unjust enrichment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and illegal publication of his intimate images in a violation of New York’s “revenge porn” law.
But while Biden’s lawsuit alleges that Fox’s miniseries “intentionally manipulates the facts,” he is not suing the network for defamation.
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In a statement, Fox News called the lawsuit “entirely politically motivated.”
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“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 statement reads. “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.”
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Biden’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, attorneys for Fox attempted to move the lawsuit into federal court. It’s not clear whether Biden’s attorneys will fight the move.
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The mock trial featured Brown administering a courtroom where a “prosecutor” used evidence taken from Biden’s laptop. Real figures from Biden’s life — like John Paul Mac Isaac, the owner of the computer shop where Biden left his laptop, and New York Post reporter Miranda Devine, who wrote a book about the laptop — took the stand as witnesses. Biden’s lawsuit alleges that Fox also published sexual images of Biden taken from the laptop, in what Biden’s lawyer claims is a violation of state revenge porn laws.
In April, Biden’s lawyers sent Fox a letter warning the media giant to take the series down, which it did a week later. But the lawsuit claims that promotional videos for the series are still online and the full show can be viewed on other platforms.
A jury found Biden guilty on felony gun charges in June. He’s scheduled to face another trial on tax charges in September.
The lawsuit, filed Sunday in New York state court, centers on “The Trial of Hunter Biden,” a six-part miniseries that was released on the Fox Nation streaming platform. In the faux trial, television personality Judge Joe Brown presided over an imagined prosecution of Biden for violating bribery and foreign-agent laws — two charges he hasn’t faced in the real world.
Biden is suing Fox claiming unjust enrichment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and illegal publication of his intimate images in a violation of New York’s “revenge porn” law.
But while Biden’s lawsuit alleges that Fox’s miniseries “intentionally manipulates the facts,” he is not suing the network for defamation.
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In a statement, Fox News called the lawsuit “entirely politically motivated.”
📰
Follow Media industry
“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 statement reads. “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.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio..._magnet-hunter-biden-news_inline_collection_4
http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit..._magnet-hunter-biden-news_inline_collection_8
http://www.washingtonpost.com/style..._magnet-hunter-biden-news_inline_collection_9
http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...magnet-hunter-biden-news_inline_collection_20
Biden’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, attorneys for Fox attempted to move the lawsuit into federal court. It’s not clear whether Biden’s attorneys will fight the move.
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The mock trial featured Brown administering a courtroom where a “prosecutor” used evidence taken from Biden’s laptop. Real figures from Biden’s life — like John Paul Mac Isaac, the owner of the computer shop where Biden left his laptop, and New York Post reporter Miranda Devine, who wrote a book about the laptop — took the stand as witnesses. Biden’s lawsuit alleges that Fox also published sexual images of Biden taken from the laptop, in what Biden’s lawyer claims is a violation of state revenge porn laws.
In April, Biden’s lawyers sent Fox a letter warning the media giant to take the series down, which it did a week later. But the lawsuit claims that promotional videos for the series are still online and the full show can be viewed on other platforms.
A jury found Biden guilty on felony gun charges in June. He’s scheduled to face another trial on tax charges in September.
