Eric Goldman was quoted in Yahoo news and The Independent about a lawsuit against Fox news that claims the television station and its parent companies and owners violated the Washington State Consumer Protection Act by spreading false information about the coronavirus.
Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, told the Times of San Diego that the lawsuit looked to be a SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) lawsuit meant to chill the network’s free speech rights.
“WASHLITE (Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics) essentially accuses Fox News of false advertising because of its editorial misinformation,” Mr Goldman said. “The lawsuit is still a SLAPP, so I’m happy to call it that. There’s just not the fast procedural lane provided by the [Washington state] anti-SLAPP law.”
Mr Goldman does agree, however, that “many thousands of Americans will die because they relied on the misinformation broadcast by Fox News.”
