Hunter Biden Revives Lawsuit Against Fox News Over Intimate Images
The suit, filed on Oct. 15 in New York state court in Manhattan, claims that Fox violated New York's so-called revenge porn law by disseminating intimate images without his consent.
The new lawsuit adds two Fox executives as defendants: Viet D. Dinh, a former chief legal and policy officer at Fox Corporation, and Jason Klarman, former president of Fox Nation, the network's streaming service.
Fox News responded in court by requesting that the case be moved to federal court.
A spokesperson for the network described the lawsuit as "once again devoid of any merit" in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.
"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 said. "The program was removed within days of that 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."
The lawsuit centers on "The Trial of Hunter Biden," a six-part series that aired on Fox Nation starting in October 2022.
Described by Fox as a "riveting look at the unresolved legal situation of President Joe Biden's son," the series depicts a fictionalized court proceeding on charges Biden has not faced, including violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and bribery.
Biden's lawsuit argues that the series was intended solely for entertainment and unlawfully used his name, image, and likeness for commercial benefit.
It further alleges that Fox published and disseminated intimate images of him without his consent, causing "severe emotional distress, humiliation, and mental anguish, as well as irreparable injury to his personal and professional reputation."
"In publishing and disseminating the Intimate Images, Defendants knew that these private and confidential images were hacked, stolen, and/or manipulated digital material which were intended to remain private and confidential," the lawsuit stated. "The unlawful publication and dissemination of the Intimate Images by Defendants was not made for a legitimate public purpose."
Hunter Biden's attorney, Tina Glandian, did not respond to a request from The Epoch Times for comment on why the suit had been revived now.
In April, Biden's attorneys sent a demand letter to Fox requesting the removal of the series from its platforms.
Fox removed "The Trial of Hunter Biden" from Fox Nation on or about April 30, but the lawsuit claims that promotional clips remain accessible online and that the series is still available on some third-party streaming services.
