Family Of Murdered DNC Staffer Sues Fox News Over Retracted Story About Son

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 4: Mary Rich, the mother of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich, gives a press conference in Bloomingdale on August 1, 2016. Seth Rich was gunned down in the DC neighborhood a month ago and the Rich's... WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 4: Mary Rich, the mother of slain DNC staffer Seth Rich, gives a press conference in Bloomingdale on August 1, 2016. Seth Rich was gunned down in the DC neighborhood a month ago and the Rich's were imploring people for any information they may have about his killer. (Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images) MORE LESS
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The parents of a former Democratic National Committee staffer sued Fox News for a story the network published and later retracted about their son Seth Rich, who was shot and killed in Washington, D.C. in July 2016, ABC News reported Tuesday evening.

A Fox News spokesperson told TPM Wednesday that the network “can’t comment on this pending litigation.”

The May 2017 Fox News article peddled incorrect theories that Rich was murdered because he was connected to the WikiLeaks release of 20,000 DNC emails, which occurred after his death. The article linked Rich to the leak of the emails to WikiLeaks, but the U.S. intelligence community said in October 2016 that the Russian government was behind the hacks.

Police say Rich may have been the victim of a robbery when he was shot in the back several times and later died in the hospital in July 2016, but the murder of the 27-year-old still remains unsolved.

In the lawsuit, which was obtained by ABC News, Rich’s parents claim that Fox News, investigative reporter Malia Zimmerman and commentator Ed Butowsky are liable for the harm inflicted on Rich’s family by spreading “false and fabricated facts” about their son’s death. A Fox News spokesperson noted to TPM that Butowsky was never actually a Fox News contributor. 

Fox News retracted that story in late May 2017 because it was not “subjected to the high degree of editorial scrutiny we require for all our reporting,” the network said in a statement at the time.

“No parent should ever have to live through what we have been forced to endure. The pain and anguish that comes from seeing your murdered son’s life and legacy treated as a mere political football is beyond comprehension,” Rich’s parents Joel and Mary Rich told ABC News in a joint statement.

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  1. A Fox News spokesperson told TPM Wednesday that the network “can’t comment on this pending litigation.”
    We will however admit to being heartless pricks who will do anything if we think it will fool the base and hurt Democrats

  2. Avatar for sanni sanni says:

    A day or so earlier the person who made the video of the murder by car in Charlottesville, who was then subjected to crazy conspiracy theories and resulting harassment, filed a law suit against Alex Jones and various people at Infowars. I like this trend.

    A story from the Chicago Tribune is a reminder of the worst kind of consequence from the peddling of such theories on the far right fringe - these are acts of terrorism - and I don’t think that to this day the presidunce has ever mentioned the mosque bombing.

  3. The zeitgeist has people coming out and challenging the false narratives.

  4. Empty Fox’s corporate wallet. Destroy them.

  5. Fox News retracted that story in late May 2017 because it was not “subjected to the high degree of editorial scrutiny we require for all our reporting,” the network said in a statement at the time.


    Said the spokesperson, “We only publish our bullshit after throwing it against a wall and seeing if it sticks. Only the stickiest bullshit is good enough for us. Our bullshit about this murder actually slid off. But hey, it was a slow news day.”

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