https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12292713/Fox-News-sued-defamation-Jan-6-protestor-Ray-Epps-branded-federal-agent.html
Fox News is sued for defamation by January 6 protestor Ray Epps after Tucker Carlson branded him a federal agent who 'helped stage-manage the insurrection'
Epps, a former Marine, claims that he was targeted and is seeking unspecified damages
Carlson, who has since been fired from the network, made the comments on several occasions last year
Lawyers for Epps previously demanded that Fox retract its stories about him and his purported role in the Capitol riot and issue an on-air apology
A former Marine and Trump supporter is suing Fox News for defamation over claims he helped incite the January 6 riots.
Ray Epps, 61, claims in a new lawsuit that he became the subject of various conspiracy theories after comments by the network's former host Tucker Carlson.
The suit states: 'Just as Fox had focused on voting machine companies when falsely claiming a rigged election, Fox knew it needed a scapegoat for January 6th.
'It settled on Ray Epps and began promoting the lie that Epps was a federal agent who incited the attack on the Capitol.'
Carlson, who was sacked in April, accused Epps of being a 'federal agent who helped stage-manage the insurrection.'
Carlson made the comments on his late-night show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, after a video showed Epps urging others to join him in entering the Capitol.
During the segment in July last year Carlson said: 'Now we've asked Ray Epps on this show repeatedly to explain why he thinks he's escaped prosecution, and we'll ask him once again tonight, and we'll keep asking because we think it is a very obvious and important question.'
He was videotaped urging people to go to the Capitol, yet unlike 1,000 others, he has never been charged - giving rise to the theory that he was an FBI plant sent to whip up the riot.
The complaint was filed in the Superior Court in Delaware, where Fox agreed to a $787.5 million settlement in a separate defamation case with Dominion Voting Systems.
The group claims that the company had helped rig the 2020 election against Trump, which was ultimately settled out of court.
Fox did not immediately respond to a request for comment by DailyMail.com regarding the latest suit.
However, they appear to have requested that the venue for the case be changed to the Federal District Court in Wilmington, Delaware.
The suit added: 'When Fox, through its on-air personalities and guests, told its audience that the 2020 election had been stolen, Epps was listening.
'He believed Fox. And when Epps kept hearing that Trump supporters should let their views be known on Jan. 6 in Washington D.C., Epps took that to heart.'
Epps is seeking unspecified damages in the case, as the conspiracy theories quickly spilled online.
His suit is the latest in a long line of legal woes for the broadcaster, which saw a $2.7 billion suit from a second voting technology company, Smartmatic.
Epps told the Jan. 6 Committee in a transcript released Thursday that his wife, Robyn Ebbs (pictured) had to move from their home due to concerns for her safety following a flurry of threats
Epps told the Jan. 6 Committee in a transcript released Thursday that his wife, Robyn Ebbs (pictured) had to move from their home due to concerns for her safety following a flurry of threats
Fox were hit by two separate claims from Fox Corporation shareholders, as well as a former producer for Carlson - settling for $12million over allegations he condoned and encouraged a toxic workplace.
Epps claims that he and his wife Robyn were targeted online, received numerous death threats and had to sell their five-acre ranch in Arizona.
The couple says they were forced to move into a 350-square-foot mobile home parked at a remote trailer park in the mountains of Utah.
Lawyers for Epps previously demanded that Fox retract its stories about him and his purported role in the Capitol riot and issue an on-air apology. They did not respond.