A Delaware federal court has rejected a defamation case brought by a former Trump supporter against Fox News, marking the second dismissal of his claims that the network destroyed his life with false conspiracy theories.
Raymond Epps, who served as a Marine, sued Fox News after the network incorrectly portrayed him as a federal agent who instigated violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, to frame Trump supporters. The harassment that followed Fox’s coverage became so severe that Epps and his wife were forced to sell their Arizona property and live in an RV, according to court documents.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Hall ruled on Friday that Fox’s request to dismiss should be granted, determining that Epps had not provided sufficient proof that the network deliberately spread information they knew to be untrue.
This marks the second time Hall has thrown out the case in 2024, though she had previously allowed Epps an opportunity to refile his complaint. Her latest decision concluded that his revised filing still did not meet the legal standard.
The lawsuit specifically targeted former Fox host Tucker Carlson, who lost his job at the network in April 2023, as the primary person pushing the unfounded theory. During his tenure hosting Fox’s highest-rated program, Carlson featured Epps in over twenty segments, the court filing stated.
“In the aftermath of the events of January 6th, Fox News searched for a scapegoat to blame other than Donald Trump or the Republican Party,” lawyers for Epps wrote in their lawsuit. “Eventually, they turned on one of their own.”
Epps admitted guilt to a misdemeanor offense connected to the January 6 events and received one year of probation as his sentence. He later received a presidential pardon from Trump, who granted clemency to approximately 1,500 individuals involved in the Capitol incident.
Government prosecutors have supported Epps’ strong denials about being a federal informant or undercover operative. According to federal authorities, Epps has never worked for any government agency except for his military service in the Marines between 1979 and 1983.
