Fox News Faces Another Major Lawsuit: California Governor Gavin Newsom Sues For $787M Over Allegedly Distorting Facts

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday sued Fox News (FOXA) and is seeking damages of $787 million, saying that the news network willingly distorted facts about his conversation with President Donald Trump that harmed his reputation.

Newsom, a Democrat and potential presidential contender in 2028, filed the lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court, according to a Reuters report.

On Stocktwits, retail investors showed little reaction to the news, with sentiment around Fox Corp, which owns Fox News, remaining in 'bearish' territory, even as message volume stayed 'high.'

Newsom has alleged that Fox News maliciously reported a second conversation between him and Trump, which he says never happened, even though Trump claimed that it did.

Newsom said he spoke to Trump on June 6, or early June 7 ET, soon after protests broke out in Los Angeles following federal immigration raids. Trump later sent National Guard troops and Marines to the state, bypassing the governor.

Newsom said he had not spoken with Trump again, and confirmed this after Trump falsely told reporters on June 10 that he had spoken with the governor "a day ago."

His complaint now states that Fox News intentionally distorted the facts by making a misleading video clip and multiple false statements about the timing of the second call. Fox's claim that Newsom lied was "calculated to provoke outrage and cause Governor Newsom significant harm," according to his complaint.

The damages he has sought are identical to the settlement amount Fox News paid Dominion Voting Systems in 2023. The voting machines company won its suit against Fox News' reporting that its machines were rigged in the 2020 presidential elections.

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