Kevin O'Leary and Fox News sued over China defamation claim

A defamation lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Utah against celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary and Fox News Media by a group of Utah residents and organizations who oppose a massive data center project. The plaintiffs allege O’Leary repeatedly and falsely claimed they were acting as agents of the Chinese Communist Party to discredit their local opposition.

The lawsuit, filed on July 15, 2026, names Alliance for a Better Utah, its founder Joshua Kanter, the consulting firm Elevate Strategies, and its founder Gabrielle Finlayson, along with individuals Taylor Knuth. According to the complaint, the legal action stems from comments O’Leary made during a May 11 interview on Fox Business and in at least nine subsequent media appearances, many on Fox News programs. In these appearances, O’Leary allegedly asserted the plaintiffs were “proxies” for the Chinese government, part of a “weeks-long smear campaign” intended to undermine criticism of his proposed 40,000-acre data center campus in Box Elder County.

The plaintiffs contend O’Leary claimed to have proof from a team of data scientists, referencing a 90-page report and charts he said were shared with law enforcement. The...