California Governor Gavin Newsom sues Fox News for $787 million over defamation regarding call with Trump

(Patria) - California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a $787 million defamation lawsuit against Fox News, alleging the network defamed him by lying about his phone call with Donald Trump regarding the president's crackdown on immigration, Reuters reported.

The lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court, accused Fox News of showing a "willingness to protect President Trump from his own false statements by denigrating his political opponent, Governor Newsom, in a dispute over when the two last spoke during a period of national turmoil."

Newsom's claim for punitive damages is almost identical to the $787.5 million Fox paid in 2023 to settle a lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems over alleged vote rigging in the 2020 US presidential election.

The governor is seeking damages for harm to his reputation, saying Fox acted with actual malice. "Enough of their lies," Newsom said in a video posted on X.

In a letter to the network, Newsom's lawyers said he was prepared to drop the lawsuit if Fox retracted its claim that he lied about his call with Trump and if both Fox and host Jesse Watters apologized on air.

Fox said in a statement: "Governor Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to stifle free speech critical of him. We will vigorously defend this case and look forward to its dismissal."

Newsom is a Democrat and a potential presidential candidate in the 2028 election, and has appeared on Fox News several times.

The network is a favorite among conservatives, and its on-air hosts include many Trump supporters, Republicans. Its parent company, Fox Corp, was incorporated in Delaware.

When did Newsom speak with Trump?

According to the lawsuit, Newsom spoke by phone with Trump for about sixteen minutes late on June 6 or early June 7 Eastern Time, shortly after protests erupted in Los Angeles following raids by federal immigration authorities. Trump later sent National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the state, bypassing the governor.


Newsom said he had not spoken to Trump since, and this was confirmed after Trump falsely told reporters on June 10 that he had spoken with the governor "the day before."

The lawsuit states that Fox nevertheless intentionally distorted the facts by creating a misleading video clip and multiple false statements about the timing of the last call, in an effort to brand Newsom a liar and curry favor with Trump.
"Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him," Watters said on June 10 on his show "Jesse Watters Primetime," according to the lawsuit.
Watters' report was accompanied by a chyron that read "Gavin Lied About Trump Call" at the bottom of the TV screen, which stated "Gavin Lied About Trump Call," the lawsuit adds.

According to the lawsuit, Fox's claim that Newsom lied was "calculated to incite outrage and cause significant harm to Governor Newsom," reducing the likelihood that people would support his initiatives, donate to his campaigns, or vote for him in elections.

Newsom's lawyers said it was "perhaps not surprising" that the seventy-nine-year-old Trump might have mixed up dates, but Fox's decision to cover up the mistake "cannot be so easily dismissed."

To win the lawsuit, Newsom would have to prove that Fox acted with actual malice, meaning it knew its statements were false or had a reckless disregard for the truth.

The standard comes from the case of New York Times v. Sullivan, a landmark 1964 US Supreme Court decision.