Tony Bobulinski, a former associate of Hunter Biden who recently testified against President Joe Biden in the GOP-led House impeachment inquiry, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov on Thursday.
The complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, seeks $30 million in damages from the liberal pundit over comments she made on Fox News about Bobulinski and his legal representation. Stefan Passantino, a lawyer for Bobulinski, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Following Bobulinski’s public testimony in an impeachment hearing last week, Tarlov said during the March 20 broadcast of The Five that a Donald Trump-associated political action committee had paid Bobulinski’s legal fees. Tarlov, however, issued a clarification the following day after Bobulinski’s attorney Jesse Binnall demanded a retraction and apology.
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“I would like to clarify a comment I made yesterday during our discussion of Tony Bobulinski’s appearance at the congressional hearing. During an exchange with my colleagues about the hearing I said that Mr. Bobulinski’s lawyers’ fees have been paid by a Trump SuperPAC as recent as January,” she said on March 21. “What was actually said during the hearing was that the law firm representing Mr. Bobulinski was paid by a Trump PAC. I have seen no indication those payments were made in connection with Mr. Bobulinski’s legal fees and he denies that they were.”
Bobulinski, however, was unsatisfied with Tarlov’s remarks and sent Fox News another threatening letter the following day, adding that legal actions would be taken if his demands were not met.
“To be clear, we demand a complete retraction and apology by Ms. Tarlov AT THE TOP OF TODAY’S SHOW while showing this photograph in which Ms. Tarlov clearly states that she explicitly ‘apologizes to Tony Bobulinski and Stefan Passantino for making a false claim on the air which harmed their reputations.’ Ms. Tarlov must further state, ‘To be clear, it appears that Mr. Bobulinski has always paid all of his legal bills and there is no evidence that Mr. Passantino or his law firm accepted money from anyone other than Mr. Bobulinski for his representation.” These statements must be made without the petulant innuendo or further attempted mental gymnastics as we saw from her yesterday,” that letter read. “Absent such statements, both he and Mr. Passantino will continue to be harmed.”
Tarlov, meanwhile, did not issue the requested apology and retraction. Additionally, Fox News lawyers responded by noting that Tarlov’s “correction was accurate, and we will not be issuing any further correction.” Adding that Tarlov had “made clear that she had ‘no indication’ that there was any such connection between a Trump PAC and Mr. Bobulinski’s fees,” Fox lawyers repeated Bobulinski’s denial and reiterated that the network “will not issue any further correction.”
The network reiterated its position in a statement Thursday.
“Jessica Tarlov’s March 21st statements were accurate and made clear that she was not aware of anything to indicate that payments from a Trump PAC to Elections, LLC were made in connection with Tony Bobulinski’s legal fees,” a Fox News spokesperson told The Daily Beast. “We stand by our decision to not issue any further corrections and will vigorously defend against these inaccurate claims.”
Essentially repeating the claims made in the first two retraction demands to Fox News, the lawsuit accuses Tarlov of “deliberately and maliciously” defaming Bobulinski in an attempt to discredit his testimony before the House.
“Ms. Tarlov was aware at the time she made them that these false statements invoking President Trump would inflame a segment of the country against Mr. Bobulinski and Mr. Passantino and would falsely cause her viewers to disbelieve Mr. Bobulinski’s sworn testimony,” the complaint alleges. “As a Democratic strategist, and consistent with a well-established pattern of hostile and malicious intent to defame the character and reputation of anyone associated with President Trump, such as Mr. Passantino, and anyone who dared speak up against the Biden family.”
The lawsuit also cites Tarlov’s retweet of a March 20 Daily Beast article about a Trump PAC burning through donors’ money to cover the ex-president’s legal fees, claiming it was “exemplary of her awareness and pattern of hostile and malicious intent against Plaintiffs.”
While the complaint accuses Tarlov of three counts of defamation, the lawsuit notably does not name Fox News as a defendant but just The Five co-host individually.
In a statement through a spokesperson, Bobulinki said the following:
“Today I filed a lawsuit against Ms. Jessica Tarlov of Fox News for defamation. Although I am seeking compensatory, special, and punitive damages from her for the damage her public remarks inflicted on my personal and professional reputation, this is not about money. This is about the truth, for which I have been fighting for four years. It is important for media personalities like Ms. Tarlov to understand that lies have consequences. I have consistently told the truth to the American people about the deep corruption of the Biden family and will continue to do, and I have paid my legal expenses arising from my decision to come forward out of my own pocket. I will donate every penny I may be awarded in this suit to a children’s hospital and to support our military Veterans. Ms. Tarlov refused to apologize and sincerely correct the record. I look forward to holding her accountable in a court of law and to continuing to bring the truth to the American people.”
