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California Gov. Gavin Newsom Sues Fox News for $787 Million Over Defamation Claims

Strategic Insights

Jun 26, 2025 — 1 min read

California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a lawsuit against Fox News for $787 million, accusing the media outlet of defamation in its coverage of a recent phone call between him and President Donald Trump. Newsom's attorneys allege that Fox News aired deceptively edited videos and made false statements claiming the Democratic governor lied about the phone call. The lawsuit stems from a public dispute between Newsom and Trump over the timing of a phone call that occurred as protests took hold in Los Angeles over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts earlier this month.

Key Takeaways:

The lawsuit alleges that Fox News aired deceptively edited videos and made false statements claiming Newsom lied about the phone call, causing potential harm to his future political prospects.
Newsom's attorneys argue that Fox News attempted to damage his future political prospects by spreading false information about the phone call.
The lawsuit follows a public dispute between Newsom and Trump over the timing of a phone call during protests in Los Angeles over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts.
Newsom's attorneys note that Fox News anchor Jesse Watters claimed that Newsom "lied" about the phone call, and a chyron reading "Gavin Lied About Trump's Call" was featured on the network.
Newsom's attorneys sent a letter to Fox News requesting that the network retract the claims and for Watters to issue an on-air apology in order to drop the lawsuit.
The request for $787 million damages mirrors the figure Fox News paid Dominion Voting Systems in a settlement to avert a defamation trial over the media outlet's 2020 election lies.

Statistics:

$787 million: The amount of damages Newsom is seeking from Fox News.
2020: The year in which Fox News was involved in a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems over election lies.
Federal Election Commission: Not specified in the original text (added to maintain state-federal separation).

Sources:

CNN, "California Gov. Gavin Newsom suing Fox News for $787 million over defamation claims", by Arlette Saenz.

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