Hunter Biden sues Fox News over fictional miniseries
Hunter Biden on Monday sued Fox News and its parent company over their production of a fictional miniseries that attorneys for the president's son called "an effort to harass, annoy, alarm, and humiliate him, and tarnish his reputation."
The miniseries, called "The Trial of Hunter Biden," is described by Fox as a mock trial that seeks to show "how a possible Hunter Biden trial might look," and includes several sexually graphic images of Hunter Biden.
In their suit, filed Monday in New York state court, attorneys for Hunter Biden accuse the network of "politically motivated attacks against the President and his family" and the "unlawful commercial exploitation of Mr. Biden's image, name, and likeness."
They accused the network of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and unjust enrichment. The complaint requests a jury trial, compensatory and punitive damages, and the disgorgement of any profits from "The Trial of Hunter Biden."
"This entirely politically motivated lawsuit is devoid of merit," a Fox News spokesperson said in response to the suit. "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 program was removed within days of the 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 Fox spokesperson said.
Attorneys for Biden framed their suit as an "analogous situation" to the recent suit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which ultimately concluded with a $787.5 million settlement agreement.
"Like in the Dominion case, Fox knew its conduct was unlawful but it did it anyway," according to the complaint.
Hunter Biden's legal team first threatened to sue Fox in April over the miniseries. Fox removed "The Trial of Hunter Biden" from its platform days later, "however, promotional reels and clips of the mocu-series have not been removed by Fox," Biden's lawsuit claims.
To file the suit, Hunter Biden enlisted the law firm Geragos & Geragos, whose principal, Mark Geragos, has represented A-listers like Michael Jackson, singer Chris Brown, and actress Winona Ryder.
Geragos also has experience representing family members of presidents: He negotiated a plea deal in 2001 for Roger Clinton Jr., the brother of former President Bill Clinton, for driving under the influence.
Hunter Biden was found guilty last month on three counts related to his 2018 purchase of a firearm while allegedly addicted to drugs. He faces a separate trial on tax charges in September.
