Utah Groups Sue Kevin O'Leary and Fox News Over China-Agent Claims in AI Data Center Dispute

The founders of two Utah organizations sued Canadian businessman Kevin O'Leary and Fox News on Wednesday in U.S. District Court, alleging he falsely accused them of acting as proxies for the Chinese government in opposition to his proposed AI data center. Cbc reported that the lawsuit claims O'Leary ran a weekslong smear campaign across at least 10 Fox interviews in May and June.

It states that Joshua Kanter's Alliance for a Better Utah and Gabrielle Finlayson's Elevate Strategies posted concerns about the project a couple of times on social media and played virtually no role in organized opposition. O'Leary announced plans in April for the 40,000-acre campus in Box Elder County.

In the interviews he said the backlash formed part of a China-funded misinformation campaign and that the organizations served as proxies for the Chinese government.

He also stated he had shared 90 pages of evidence with federal law enforcement and raised concerns with White House contacts, adding in one appearance that the claim was an irrefutable fact. O'Leary posted on social media on June 25 that he had no evidence Kanter, Finlayson or their organizations were foreign agents. The lawsuit says the post followed a legal demand for retraction.

O'Leary's lawyer Jeffrey Neiman stated Thursday that his client will vigorously defend the suit and may file counterclaims. Neiman said he attempted without success to discuss the matter out of court and described the filing as a cash grab that began fundraising within days of the statements.

Fox News Media stated it would fight the lawsuit and had issued on-air corrections on every program where O'Leary's comments appeared.