The family of murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich is suing Fox News over a since-retracted story about allegations Rich was involved in a Wikileaks conspiracy. ABC News reports the family has also named the reporter of the story, and a commentator who gave weight to the claim.
In the suit, which was obtained by ABC News, Rich’s parents, Joel and Mary Rich, claim that Fox News investigative reporter Malia Zimmerman and Fox News commenter Ed Butowsky reached out to the family under false pretenses to support stories that Seth Rich leaked DNC emails to WikiLeaks.
Rich was murdered in the early morning hours of July 10, 2016 about a block from his apartment in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He had been an employee of the Democratic National Committee. Zimmerman wrote the initial story for FoxNews.com which continued to get coverage on Fox News Channel, primarily on Sean Hannity‘s show, until last May, when Fox retracted the story.
In a statement, the network said, “Fox News declined comment citing pending litigation.”
Fox News has also been sued by another contributor, Rod Wheeler, over the matter. Wheeler claims he was misquoted in the story. Fox News lawyers have sought to dismiss that suit.