Kevin O’Leary Sued for Defamation Over China Ties Claim

Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary and Fox News are facing a defamation lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Utah Federal District Court. The suit was brought by two Utah-based political organizations, the Alliance for a Better Utah and Elevate Strategies, along with their founders, Joshua Kanter and Gabrielle Finlayson. The plaintiffs allege that O’Leary’s public accusations, made in May and on Fox News, falsely linked them to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and fueled a "smear campaign" against O’Leary’s proposed data center project in Utah.

The lawsuit claims O’Leary characterized an influx of opposition comments to his data center proposal as "bot-written" and attributed them to "Chinese Communist Party-adjacent actors." The plaintiffs state these accusations have caused "devastating reputational harm, significant economic losses, severe emotional distress, and ongoing threats to their physical safety." They are seeking compensatory damages to be determined at trial, as well as punitive and exemplary damages.

O’Leary’s attorney, Jeff Neiman, dismissed the lawsuit as a "cash grab" in a statement to Fortune. Neiman suggested the organizations are using O’Leary’s comments as a fundraising catalyst and that the lawsuit will expose their operations and funding to further scrutiny. He stated, "The plaintiffs have put their operations, funding, and coordination squarely at issue. We welcome that, and we look forward to discovery and uncovering the facts related to the misinformation campaign against the data center in Utah."

The lawsuit details that O’Leary allegedly made these accusations in at least 10 media appearances, specifically targeting the Alliance for a Better Utah and Elevate Strategies with claims of CCP connections. The plaintiffs argue this campaign has inflicted irreparable reputational damage.