Bill O’Reilly has filed a defamation lawsuit against Michael Panter, a former two-term New Jersey General Assemblyman, who, in a Facebook post, claimed O’Reilly intimidated his ex-girlfriend. (TVNewser)
O’Reilly’s filing—a summons, but no full complaint as of yet—alleges Panter defamed him. “This action seeks redress for Defendant Panter’s intentional, malicious and bad faith actions in making defamatory and false statements in a publicly-available social media post,” the filing says. (THR / THR, Esq.)
Panter posted on Tuesday about his ex’s experience while working at Fox News with O’Reilly. Not only was she a victim of O’Reilly’s harassment, Panter alleges, but O’Reilly once asked her to give him dirt on another woman accusing him of inappropriate behavior. (Mashable)
O’Reilly wants a sum of not less than $5 million for his trouble. Speaking Thursday on his streaming-video program, O’Reilly told viewers he intended to take legal action against people he felt were spreading inaccurate information about him. (Variety)
After filing the summons, Panter will demand O’Reilly file an official complaint. After the demand, O’Reilly will then have 20 days to file the lawsuit or the judge could dismiss the case. (Mediaite)