Fox News settles case with Seth Rich’s family



[ad_1]

“The settlement with Fox News concludes another chapter in our efforts to mourn the murder of our beloved Seth, whom we miss every day,” parents Joel and Mary Rich said in a statement through their lawyers.

The wealthy parents added that the settlement will allow them “to get out of the dispute” and that they “are satisfied with the settlement of this matter and sincerely hope that the media will take real caution in the future.”

“We thank everyone who has counseled us and given us strength,” said Joel and Mary Rich, adding, “We now look forward to devoting as much time and energy as possible to family and preserving memory of Seth as a blessing.

A Fox News spokesperson said, “We are pleased with the resolution of the complaints and hope that this will allow Mr. and Mrs. Rich to find a small degree of peace and comfort to move forward.”

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed by either party.

The Rich filed a lawsuit in March 2018 against Fox News, a Fox News reporter and a Texas businessman.

The lawsuit alleged that Malia Zimmerman, the reporter named in the lawsuit, had worked with Texas businessman Ed Butowsky to develop a “fictional” story about Rich’s death that Fox News posted online in May. 2017 and referenced on the air several times.

Zimmerman’s story stated that Rod Wheeler, a private investigator who at the time was a Fox News contributor hired by Butowsky on behalf of the Rich family to investigate Rich’s death, learned that Wikileaks had been in contact with Rich before his death.

The story suggested without real evidence that Rich disclosed a trove of DNC emails to Wikileaks and further suggested that his death, which police suspected was a botched theft, was retribution for the alleged leak. Within hours, however, the Fox News story fell apart.

The Rich family demanded compensation for “mental anguish and emotional distress, emotional pain and suffering, and all other physical and mental injuries.”

Judge George B. Daniels of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the case in its entirety in August 2018. However, in September 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit dismissed overturned Daniels’ decision.

The appeals court said after review, it determined that the lawsuit contained “sufficient facts” to survive a motion to dismiss based on failure to file a claim.

Several Fox News figures and executives were scheduled to undergo depositions in recent weeks, including prominent hosts such as Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs. It is not clear whether these depositions took place and the Fox News spokesperson did not respond to an email seeking clarification.

A lawyer for Butowsky declined to comment. A lawyer for Zimmerman did not respond to a request for comment, but the Fox News spokesperson confirmed a Washington Post report that Zimmerman was no longer with the network. The spokesperson did not respond to an email asking when she left Fox News and under what circumstances.

[ad_2]

Source link