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Utah Groups File Defamation Suit Against Kevin O’Leary and Fox News
Joshua Kanter and Gabrielle Finlayson sued Kevin O’Leary and Fox News on Wednesday over statements linking their organizations to the Chinese Communist Party. The suit concerns comments O’Leary made while opposing his proposed Stratos data center in Utah. O’Leary later posted a clarification stating he had no evidence of such funding ties.
Jul 17, 3:00 AM·1m read1 source
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Joshua Kanter, founder of Alliance for a Better Utah, and Gabrielle Finlayson, a founder of Elevate Strategies, filed a defamation lawsuit against Kevin O’Leary and Fox News on Wednesday, Fortune reported. The complaint alleges O’Leary made statements in at least 10 media appearances linking the two organizations to the Chinese Communist Party.
Fortune reported that the suit centers on O’Leary’s May interview on the Mornings with Maria show, where he said, “These two cells, it’s the CPP [sic] at work here.
The lawsuit claims he repeated similar statements in appearances between May 11 and June 3. O’Leary posted a clarification on Instagram on June 25 stating he had no evidence that the organizations or individuals were funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party, Fortune reported. The post followed a legal demand from the plaintiffs.
Fox News issued an apology and reported on the clarification shortly afterward. O’Leary’s attorney Jeff Neiman called the lawsuit a “cash grab” and said the organizations had used the comments to raise funds. Neiman added that the suit would subject the groups to scrutiny of their operations, funding, and coordination.
The statements concerned opposition to O’Leary’s Stratos Project, a data center complex planned for Box Elder County, Utah, near the Great Salt Lake. The project could support up to nine gigawatts of AI computing capacity. Box Elder County commissioners approved resolutions allowing the project to move forward.
O’Leary later reduced the footprint to 20,000 acres from the original 40,000 acres. Utah State Senate President Stuart Adams lost his reelection bid last month after 20 years in the legislature. Two Box Elder County commissioners who voted to advance the project also lost their primaries.
