SAN FRANCISCO (AP) 鈥� California Gov. Gavin 撸奶社区om sued Fox 撸奶社区 on Friday over alleged defamation, saying the network knowingly aired false information about a phone call he had with President Donald Trump around the time the .
The lawsuit alleges Fox 撸奶社区 anchor Jesse Watters edited out key information from a clip of Trump talking about calling 撸奶社区om, then used the edited video to assert that 撸奶社区om had lied about the two talking.
撸奶社区om is asking for $787 million in punitive damages in the lawsuit filed in Delaware, where Fox is incorporated.
That's the same amount Fox agreed to pay in 2023 to by Dominion Voting Systems. The company said Fox repeatedly aired false allegations that its equipment had switched votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden during the 2020 election, and the discovery process revealed the network's efforts not to alienate conservatives in its audience in the wake of Biden鈥檚 victory.
鈥淚f Fox 撸奶社区 wants to lie to the American people on Donald Trump鈥檚 behalf, it should face consequences 鈥� just like it did in the Dominion case,鈥� 撸奶社区om said in a statement. 鈥淚 believe the American people should be able to trust the information they receive from a major news outlet.鈥�
He asked a judge to order Fox to stop broadcasting 鈥渢he false, deceptive, and fraudulent video and accompanying statements鈥� that 撸奶社区om said falsely say he lied about when he spoke to Trump regarding the situation in Los Angeles, where over Trump's immigration crackdown.
Fox 撸奶社区 said in a statement that it would fight the lawsuit 鈥渧igorously鈥� and looks forward to it being dismissed.
鈥淕ov. 撸奶社区om鈥檚 transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him,鈥� it said.
撸奶社区om's suit centers on the details of the phone call with the president.
Both 撸奶社区om and the White House have said the two spoke late at night June 6 in California, which was already June 7 on the East Coast. Though the content of the call is not part of the lawsuit, 撸奶社区om has said they never discussed Trump's plan to deploy the National Guard, which he announced the next day. Trump said the deployment was necessary to protect federal buildings from people protesting increased immigration arrests.
Trump later announced that he would also deploy .
On June 10, when 700 Marines arrived in the Los Angeles area, Trump told reporters he had spoken to 撸奶社区om 鈥渁 day ago鈥� about his decision to send troops. That day 撸奶社区om posted on the social platform X that there had been no call.
鈥淭here was no call. Not even a voicemail,鈥� 撸奶社区om wrote.
On the evening of June 10, Fox's Jesse Watters Primetime show played a clip of Trump鈥檚 statement about his call with 撸奶社区om but removed Trump's comment that the call was 鈥渁 day ago,鈥� the lawsuit said. Watters also referred to call logs another Fox 撸奶社区 reporter posted online showing the phone call the two had on June 6.
鈥淲hy would 撸奶社区om lie and claim Trump never called him? Why would he do that?鈥� Watters said on air, according to the lawsuit. The segment included text across the bottom of the screen that said 鈥淕avin Lied About Trump's Call.鈥�
撸奶社区om's suit argues that by editing the material, Fox 鈥渕aliciously lied as a means to sabotage informed national discussion.鈥�
Precise details about when the call happened are important because the days when Trump deployed the Guard to Los Angeles despite 撸奶社区om's opposition 鈥渞epresented an unprecedented moment,鈥� 撸奶社区om's lawyers wrote in a letter to Fox demanding a retraction and on-air apology.
鈥淗istory was occurring in real time. It is precisely why reporters asked President Trump the very question that prompted this matter: when did he last speak with Governor 撸奶社区om,鈥� the letter said.
The law makes it difficult to prove defamation, but some cases result in settlements and, no matter the outcome, can tie up news outlets in expensive legal fights.
Trump, particularly since taking office a second time, has been aggressive in going after news organizations he feels has wronged him.
He is in settlement talks over his lawsuit against CBS 撸奶社区 about a 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� interview last fall with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris.
And this week Trump鈥檚 lawyers threatened to sue CNN and The New York Times over their reporting of an initial assessment of damage to Iran鈥檚 nuclear program from a U.S. bombing.
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Associated Press writer David Bauder contributed.
Olga R. Rodriguez, The Associated Press
