Federal judge dismisses Ray Epps’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News

Epps sued Fox News in July 2023, alleging that the network falsely portrayed him as a federal agent to be a “scapegoat” during its news coverage. This accusation stemmed from claims after coverage of the event that Epps “was an undercover FBI agent and was responsible for the mob that violently broke into the Capitol.”

According to court filings, Epps traveled to Washington, DC, on January 4, 2021, to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally. On the day of January 6, Epps was talking to a protestor attempting to break through a barricade and said, “Relax, the cops are doing their job,” FBI records showed.

Prior to filing his lawsuit, Epps appeared in an interview with 60 Minutes in 2023 where he claimed that he and his wife sold their Arizona ranch and moved to Utah due to harassment from news reports.

Epps alleged that Fox News knowing promoted what his attorneys described as “destructive conspiracy theories” regarding his involvement in the riot. However, federal Judge Jennifer J. Hall has dismissed Epps’ defamation lawsuit.

In response to the judge’s decision, Fox News issued a statement highlighting two other recent defamation lawsuits brought against the company that have been dismissed. The lawsuits included one by former Biden administration disinformation expert Nina Jankowicz and another involving former Hunter Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski.

“Following the dismissals of the Jankowicz, Bobulinski, and now Epps cases, FOX News is pleased with these back-to-back decisions from federal courts preserving the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” said the network.

Ray Epps v Fox News Dismissed by Hannah Nightingale on Scribd