SACRAMENTO, the United States, June 27 (Xinhua) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday filed a 47-page libel suit against Fox News Network, accusing the broadcaster of "actual malice" for airing what he calls a deceptively edited segment that branded him a liar about a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The complaint, lodged in the Delaware Superior Court, demands 787 million U.S. dollars in punitive damages and an injunction blocking further broadcasts of the June 10 "Jesse Watters Primetime" clip.
According to the filing, producers spliced Trump's remarks from a White House press gaggle to imply Newsom fabricated details of a June 6-7 conversation, a charge the governor's lawyers describe as "reckless falsehood designed to inflame."
On air, host Jesse Watters asked, "Why would Newsom lie and claim Trump never called him?" while a chyron read "Gavin Lied About Trump's Call," the complaint notes.
Newsom delivered a five-page demand letter on Wednesday, giving Fox until midnight Thursday to retract and apologize. Court exhibits showed the network took no such action, triggering the lawsuit.
The damages figure deliberately mirrored the sum Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023; a parallel Newsom's counsel says is meant "to deter future misconduct at a scale Fox understands."
Fox News dismissed the suit as "a transparent publicity stunt ... designed to chill free speech critical of him," pledging a vigorous defense.
The complaint recounts how the contested broadcast quickly ricocheted across social media, prompting thousands of hostile messages aimed at Newsom's office within hours. One viewer quoted in the filing wrote, "You lied to the president on national TV," an illustration Newsom uses to allege tangible reputational harm.
Media law scholars told Politico the governor now faces the steep hurdle set by the U.S. Supreme Court's 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan decision, which requires public officials to prove a defendant either knew a statement was false or acted with reckless disregard for its truth.
If Delaware accepted jurisdiction, the case would thrust the state's courts back into the spotlight less than two years after they presided over the Dominion settlement. Legal experts interviewed by Politico said pre-trial discovery could again expose Fox editorial deliberations.
Newsom requested a jury trial, and the court has not yet set a hearing date. ■
