Kevin O'Leary and Fox News sued for defamation over false CCP agent claims

Published Jul 15, 11:33 PM UTC

Kevin O'Leary, star of 'Shark Tank,' and Fox News are being sued for defamation by Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, and their founders. The lawsuit, filed in Utah federal court, alleges O'Leary falsely accused the groups and individuals of being foreign agents backed by the Chinese Communist Party during at least 10 media appearances between May 11 and June 3. The accusations targeted critics of O'Leary's Stratos data center project in Box Elder County, Utah. Plaintiffs claim severe reputational damage and economic harm, including lost clients. Fox News stated it will vigorously defend and noted it publicly corrected the record. O'Leary later posted on Instagram that he had no evidence of Chinese funding. The Stratos project, a massive hyperscale data center, has faced local opposition over water use, air quality, and approval processes, leading to a separate lawsuit and a governor's executive order tightening data center regulations.