California Governor Sues Fox News for $787 Million Over Defamation
WafricNews – June 28, 2025
Los Angeles, USA – California Governor Gavin Newsom has filed a massive $787 million defamation lawsuit against conservative media giant Fox News, accusing the broadcaster of spreading falsehoods about a phone call with former U.S. President Donald Trump and deliberately tarnishing his political reputation.
The case, lodged in a Delaware court—where Fox News is incorporated—draws strong parallels to the high-profile Dominion Voting Systems vs. Fox News legal battle, which resulted in the network paying out an identical $787 million settlement in 2023.
A Disputed Call That Sparked a Legal Firestorm
At the heart of the dispute is an early morning phone call that allegedly took place on June 7, during which Trump and Newsom briefly spoke. According to Newsom’s legal team, the conversation did not include any discussion about the ongoing immigration protests and ICE raids in Los Angeles—a central issue dominating headlines at the time.
Yet, in a press briefing on June 10, Trump told reporters that he had spoken to Newsom “a day ago,” suggesting that the California governor was aware of—and perhaps complicit in—his controversial order to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to suppress the protests.
Newsom swiftly denied that any such recent call had taken place, writing on social media platform X:
“There was no call. Not even a voicemail.”
Fox News anchor Jesse Watters then aired a segment accusing Newsom of lying. The broadcaster doubled down when correspondent John Roberts presented a screenshot purportedly showing a call log from Trump, but even that image confirmed the call occurred on June 7—three days before Trump claimed it happened.
"A Line Was Crossed"
“I’m used to the noise from Fox News. But this crossed a line—a journalistic line, an ethical line, and a legal line,” Newsom said during an interview with progressive outlet MeidasTouch.
The lawsuit claims Fox News intentionally misled its viewers, framing Newsom as dishonest in order to damage his political credibility ahead of potential national ambitions, possibly even a 2028 presidential run.
“Rather than clarify the facts, Fox News chose to label Governor Newsom a liar, knowing the consequences such statements could have on his public image and future campaigns,” the complaint states.
Fox News, in response, dismissed the case as "a publicity stunt," describing the suit as "frivolous" and an attempt to suppress freedom of the press.
Echoes of the Dominion Case
Observers have been quick to draw comparisons with the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit, which rocked American media and political circles in 2023. In that case, Fox News admitted no wrongdoing but paid Dominion the same sum Newsom is now seeking—$787 million—to avoid a damaging public trial over knowingly broadcasting false election claims.
“There’s a pattern here,” Newsom noted in his statement. “This is about accountability. The same way Dominion demanded truth, so will we.”
A Battle Beyond Newsom vs. Fox
While the legal fight is playing out in the U.S. courts, its implications reach further. The lawsuit shines a light on the growing tensions between public officials and partisan media outlets, and the fine line between press freedom and misinformation in modern democracies.
Media ethics, political weaponisation of news, and the role of high-profile broadcasters in shaping public opinion are once again under scrutiny in the world’s largest democracy.
With this case unfolding ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, the outcome could influence how media outlets handle reporting on politicians—and how far public figures are willing to go to fight back.
For more on this developing story and other global media and political trends, stay with WafricNews.
By WafricNews Desk.
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